


Infuriating Desire

by Souhai_Eatery, Twisted_Eternal_Wolvetta



Category: Mai-HiME, Mai-Otome
Genre: Angst, Aromantic, Depression, Drama, F/F, Gradual Romance, Mental Health Issues, Partners in Crime, Psychological-Military Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-08-13 17:44:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20178235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Souhai_Eatery/pseuds/Souhai_Eatery, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twisted_Eternal_Wolvetta/pseuds/Twisted_Eternal_Wolvetta
Summary: Truly, Tomoe Marguerite, and Juliet Nao Zhang were more alike than anyone could possibly believe.





	1. Testing the Waters

**Author's Note:**

> Infuriating Desire has been in the works for over a year now. This means we’ve been rewriting some of the chapters due to them not reading well. Chapter 01 is one of them. Neither of us are actually sure what the upload speed is going to be like, but we’ve already got a bunch of chapters which just need checking over. For updates, check Twisted Eternal Wolvetta's FF.Net profile for info as it's frequently updated there.
> 
> Back in mid 2017, we had been listening to the drama CDs. We noticed that Tomoe, and Nao have a weird sexual tension. Deciding to play along with this idea, we tried out some roleplay (which can work wonders for collab stories), and would you believe it, it just worked. A few weeks later we were developing Infuriating Desire at a smooth pace. Technically there are two versions of Infuriating Desire in the later portion of the story. This shouldn’t be problematic however, since we’ve been redeveloping that half recently. If anything, it’s given us plenty of snippets to work with.
> 
> Until then!

This was completely, and utterly aggravating. Chie Hallard, her dear upperclasswoman had stuck Juliet Nao Zhang onto _ her _ ? What _ was _ the meaning of this? Didn’t Hallard realise how problematic this was? The infuriating Pearl merely stood before her in the training grounds, pointedly staring at her. What did she expect her to say? _ ‘Oh, thanks for sticking her on me?’ _

Meanwhile, a particular redhead reacted much the same as Tomoe Marguerite.

_ ‘Can someone remind me _ ** _why _ ** _ I’m doing this for Hallard? It’s boring as hell.’ _ As a result of getting Marguerite dumped onto her, Nao had far less time to herself. Even if her daily business was rather boring after skipping classes, she didn’t appreciate the shackling. ‘ _ Oh, she’s looking this way. Should I wave to her?’ _ She wondered, the lack of amusement getting the better of her. _ ‘Or perhaps…’ _ Nah, Miss Maria was scary--even for her. Pacing around before squatting down, she spied as Hallard spoke with Marguerite in the distance. Her classmate must be advising her about something or other. How Hallard had flawlessly slipped into Coral training was beyond her. But you had such conveniences when you were a glorified student idol. But seriously, _ why _ was Hallard here? Miss Maria was bound to catch her. Or worse case scenario; _ Arika Yumemiya. _

Ah, if only she could return to her room. But alas, Hallard would give her hell carnate.

Standing up, the bored redhead slinked away towards the library instead. She would get a better vantage point from there without being plucked from her comfort zone. Not to mention, the library was one of her favourite haunts. It was a location where she could easily find a good book or a nap. Perhaps others thought her lazy? Not like Juliet Nao Zhang cared. No, as the fourth Pearl she avoided the scrutiny which the Trias are subjected to.

Linking her fingers together, she propped her palms against the back of her head. Slothfully walking through the classroom building, she climbed the stairs. Fortunately, the area was vacant, allowing her to slip by undetected. Once entering the library on the top floor, she casually wandered to her vantage point.

Here, the windows remained open, and from a distance the sounds of sparring reached Nao’s ears. Resting her head within her palms, she disinterestedly surveyed the courtyard. The sunlight filtered through the windows gently, making it rather cozy. In fact, she could fall asleep right here. _ ‘Hallard wouldn’t notice, right?’ _It wouldn’t matter if she stopped watching for a minute or thirty. The redhead mused, watching a distant Tomoe deftly parrying a blow from Arika. The manoeuvre took the pigtailed Coral by surprise, resulting in a crippling blow to her abdomen.

Nao had to admit that Tomoe was an excellent combatant. She could tell from just observation that she would give most Pearls a difficult time. Though, eh. Exhaling, she lost interest, closing her eyes.

Whatever, she’d have five minutes.

Dusting herself off nonchalantly, Tomoe hardly tossed her opponent a single glance. _ ‘That was a waste of my time if that’s all she’s capable of.’ _ Watching Arika stumble back onto her feet--albeit appearing ready to throw up. “Up on your feet so soon? Not too bad for a coddled pet.” She shot, though seemed unamused nonetheless. She _ despised _ Arika Yumemiya for several reasons. Usually her thoughts were kept in check so no one was none the wiser. However… _ Yumemiya. ‘Ugh. Let’s just get this over with.’ _Drawing a short breath, Tomoe leapt forth towards the battered Coral. Aiming for the girl’s abdomen where her punch had previously landed with her polearm. Her attack was barely blocked by Arika’s own Element, but the stronger Coral had already anticipated it. With a sharp spin, she swung a solid kick to the Coral’s defenseless head, sending her toppling to the floor.

Concluding the spar finished, Tomoe eyed the barely conscious, heaving Coral. _ ‘You _ ** _deserve_ ** _ it.’ _

_ “Marguerite! What is the meaning of this?!” _ Miss Maria came rushing towards Tomoe, and the downed Coral. Immediately setting her sights on Arika, she knelt down beside her. Easing an ear to the student’s mouth, the epitome of grace frowned. She had clearly noticed that Yumemiya was struggling for breath. _ “Wang! Ho! Fetch Doctor Helene this instant!” _She called for the two students.

All the while, Tomoe watched the event befall apathetically. A hand clasped to her hand, but she already knew who this was. “Chie.” She murmured neutrally, not turning to face her.

“Did you have to go that far?” The Pearl questioned. She hadn’t expected differently from the dangerous student, but Chie had never understood her intentions fully.

“Do I always need to answer the same questions from you?” Tomoe snapped, pulling herself away from the Trias. Annoyed by the frightened glances shot by her classmates, she headed for the secluded section of the courtyard. _ ‘I doubt they want me back anytime soon.’ _She may as well do something productive instead. The library, perhaps? It was always a nice place to hide away inside. Least she could hang out there before Miss Maria tried gutting her.

Since classes rotated for outdoor activities, there was not a soul to be found inside the classrooms. This made her journey effortless, at least. A grating annoyance ploughed Tomoe’s senses as she climbed the stairs to the library. It was a _ joke _ that combat practice was so petty. Not like Tomoe cared, but what would Yumemiya do in a true Otome battle? She was being _ merciful. _Steinberg, and Graceburt? Those Corals would be dead in a few years, Tomoe was confident in this.

Fortunately, the library was almost void of students as well, save for occasional Pearls reading. The Coral’s footsteps echoed noisily throughout the library, attracting mildly annoyed glances from her seniors. After noticing who the culprit was, faces submerged back into the pages. Tomoe’s infamy had spread fear even amongst the weaker Pearls, pathetically.

Woken from the ringing footsteps, Nao stirred from her sleep. With heavy eyelids, she peered at the courtyard. The students had huddled around what seemed to be an unconscious Arika. Helene was there too, and was attaching a neck brace to the downed Coral. _ ‘...How long have I been asleep for her to be in that state?’ _ Nao mused a tad guiltily, somewhat wishing she had paid more attention. Arika _ was _ her room attendant, after all. Releasing a drawn-out yawn, Nao lazily stretched with her arms pulled back. _ ‘I should do my work before Hallard seriously kills me. Figuring Marguerite’s psycho grudge would probably save my ass later.’ _Probably Arika’s, too.

“Oh, is that you, Juliet?” A voice called out from behind her. “What a surprise to see you here.” Miraculously Tomoe was standing by her side. “Seems you were observing my sparring session with Yumemiya? May I ask what you thought of it? I believed that she could have done a little better…” A hint of an brusqued sneer unveiled her malice for a brief second. Until a moment later, it was swiftly replaced by a far more appropriate smile.

_ ‘Heh. You dirty little psycho.’ _

“People refuse to spar with me these days.” Tomoe sighed, seemingly saddened over the fact. She peeked outside to the congregation outside. At last they were moving Yumemiya, and she momentarily cocked a brow at the neck brace. “Even the Pearls are terrified of me.” Who could blame them really? Despite so, it was rather cowardly since she fought them as her enemy would her. They were training to become _ Meisters; killers. _Sure, she had certainly injured Yumemiya, but this was the reality of their battlefield.

“Nobody likes getting a prolonged visit to the infirmary with Helene.” Nao took a verbal jab at Tomoe. “Looking at how Arinko ended up, you made me wonder whether there’s a score you’re trying to settle.”

Tomoe stared at her for a long moment. _ ‘You have no idea.’ _ Studying the Artain with mild suspicion, she drifted her eyes across her body. “Everyone knows she’ll come bouncing back sooner or later. I simply fear she doesn’t understand the reality of things, thanks to her… _ Ant-like qualities _.” Inwardly Tomoe cursed. Perhaps that had been a slip of the tongue on her part? She knew very well how difficult it was to bypass Nao.

“If you ask me, killing one of our own comes with a conscious decision to go through with it.” Nao considered for a moment, returning the Coral’s studying gaze with a curious look. Compared to the other girls, Tomoe is a killing machine, that much was certain. In that aspect, even _ Nina _ may not be a match for her. Nao found her talent rather unsettling; something even she would not want to face one day. In that sense, she certainly understood where Hallard was coming from. _ ‘But _ ** _me, _ ** _ of all people?’ _ That being said, Nao found it easy to read Tomoe like an open book sometimes. The Coral is a stubborn one who doesn’t take no for an answer. Honestly it was refreshing, and the redhead admired her for that. “I wonder whether that influenced your decision? _ ‘Arika wouldn’t die from that anyway; Helene’s a miracle worker.’ _

Tomoe wondered whether she should say something. But surely saying even a hint would give her away? She was certain Nao knew she despised Yumemiya, especially since the brat was Nao’s room attendant. For her own sake, how could she dance around this issue? Sliding her tongue along her teeth, Tomoe mused quietly. She couldn’t go down the reality route again. She had simply wanted to knock some sense into the girl because she was infuriating. But she absolutely ** _hated _ ** her for having snatched Shizuru’s attention so flawlessly. She herself had desperately sought after the Archmeister, But _ her _ ? That brat waltzed into Garderobe unannounced, and tore the Archmeister away just like that. Worse, she was babied because she was some old Meister’s child. It ** _sickened_ ** Tomoe.

How was that fair for anyone else? The only reason why any of them were here was due to years of training, luck, and dedication. Over _ twenty-five thousand _ people had attempted to enroll into Garderobe this year alone. So _ why _ her? Derailing her train of thought, she blinked as she caught Nao’s eyebrow lift slowly. She was resting her jaw against her hand, and was lazily studying her. _ ‘Has she been been trying to read me?’ _Of course she is.

“You know, your expressions have been dancing quite a bit. Deep in thought, aren't you, hm?” The Pearl mused, observing the Coral’s poorly disguised surprise. Obviously, Tomoe’s face barely changed throughout while Nao watched, but she couldn’t help but tease her nonetheless. Perhaps she would give an unexpected reason?

“W-what? No, I was pondering a little. What you said made some sense.” Tomoe lied, her eyes peering back towards the courtyard where the students had already dissipated. _ ‘Miss Maria must be looking for me now.’ _

A reason to kill. Otome had no reason, didn’t they? What the Pearl said made no real sense. It wouldn’t surprise Tomoe if the elder had merely said it to sound smart. She was beginning to get on her nerves, in fact. “I believe that we kill to ensure our own survival. That is all there is, and it is something Yumemiya needs to understand.” Tomoe answered. Turning her back towards the window, she trained her eyes upon the library’s entrance. She would know if Miss Maria was here.

“Oh.” A deadpan acknowledgement sounded from Nao. It was an answer Tomoe fully expected, but it was still underwhelming nonetheless. _ ‘Maybe if I push her buttons a little more…’ _“I see. At least it isn’t because she got on your nerves then. That’s good. You’re less petty than you seem.” The redhead pulled a feint, trying to figure out the Coral’s triggers. “Say, would you like to join me? I would be visiting Arika later; it would probably do you some good to see her.”

See Yumemiya? Though, then again, Miss Maria would probably never guess she’d go see her. Would she even be awake? Questions flooded Tomoe’s mind, but she angrily pushed them aside. “Alright. I would like to see her.” She uttered, wondering whether this would cover her tracks. She would see how this would turn out. At this point, Tomoe doubted things could get any worse. It wasn’t like she’d outright kill the girl.

Nao paused for a moment, having not been expecting an answer such as this. Watching the Coral carefully, it seemed as though she hadn’t felt insulted by the casual comment on her character. _ ‘Her tolerance has a wider girth than I thought. That, or something’s up.’ _

“Great! Playing nice would probably get you off Maria’s hook too. Let’s get going. It will be a drag if she shows up now.” Nao got up from the table, where she got a better view of the courtyard. The epitome of grace was slowly approaching the building they are in. “She’s coming over now. We’ll have to go from the back.”

Tomoe glanced over her shoulder to the empty courtyard, surprised the disciplinary demon hadn’t caught up to them sooner. She squinted her eyes from the brightness, then turned around to face the library entrance. Nao was already walking towards it, her footsteps inaudible compared to Tomoe’s. 

“Be Jesus, and walk like you’re standing on water. You wouldn’t want Miss Maria hearing you now.” The Artain commented. “I could hear you the moment you stepped into the library.”

_ ‘Jesu- who now?’ _“Oh? I am intrigued, Juliet. Your hearing is surprisingly sharp.” Tomoe replied, following closely behind the Pearl with slightly audible steps.

“Force of habit.” Nao led the Coral down the steps to the classrooms. But instead of continuing down to the ground storey, they entered the classroom by the stairs.

“Why are we here?” Tomoe asked, perking an eyebrow as Nao walked towards one of the windows.

“This is our way out, unless you _ want _to strut up to Maria?” Nao chuckled, throwing open the window where a tree branch grew within arm’s reach.

Tomoe watched while the Pearl leapt out onto the tree deftly. The branch shook from the sudden weight yet withstood it. Only the rustling of the leaves would have revealed the Otome’s presence.

“How typical.” Tomoe rolled her eyes. _ ‘A serial truant, and her childish tricks....’ _“Would this be how you skip classes?”

“No, I walk out of here like a normal human being.” Nao scoffed, before leaping down onto the tree trunk, and shuffling down skillfully.

Still, Nao probably used this as an escape route, Tomoe didn’t believe her for a second. She eyed the woman oddly whom gestured her to follow, and she took a speedy review of their surroundings. The tree was on the back path of the academy which followed the forest’s edge. Wasn’t this the same path leading to the gardens? Taking one final glance inside the classroom, Tomoe leapt onto the branch. It, too, held her weight... _ fortunately. _ She had been _ slightly _worried that it wouldn’t. Nao was much leaner than herself, truth be told. Upon that moment of landing on the branch, she heard footsteps. Knowing it was likely to be Miss Maria, she instead jumped down, and landed squarely on her feet, as though attempting to clap into the ground with all her might.

Whilst Tomoe dusted off her uniform, Nao rolled her eyes at her blatant disregard for stealth. Once the Coral had finished grooming herself, she signalled for them to head towards the gardens. This portion of the path was a little more exposed than she liked, but it was better than going around the building. Miss Maria could easily intercept them by the entrance, after all.

Following the naked dirt path, the duo power-walked towards the cover of the trees. It was one of those routes rarely taken by anyone. _ ‘Other than Juliet, probably’. _Tomoe definitely had not known of this path.

Only until Nao felt that they were secluded enough, she finally spoke. “You move unexpectedly like a hippopotamus.”

Following closely behind the Artain, Tomoe’s expression turned sour for a moment. Not that the Pearl could see that, which allowed the Coral’s facade to ease slightly. “It… must have been the muscle mass I’ve been gaining recently.” She cleared her throat, trying not to let her displeasure reveal itself.

“Hm? I’m jealous.” Nao snickered. “I wouldn’t mind beefing up a little as well, but I rather stay sneaky.” Maybe one of these days Nao would gain some extra muscle. But for the time being she couldn’t afford it. She _ needed _the stealth, and flexibility. Hopefully her Meister robe would suit her well.

Rounding the classrooms they had exited, they remained at the corner. With luck, Miss Maria wouldn’t think to come this way. They needed to enter the building again to get into the labs. Though maybe Miss Maria had headed for the labs as well? Only time would tell.”What do you think Miss Maria is doing?” She asked the Coral.

“I wonder too… nobody knows what Miss Maria thinks.” How would she know? Tomoe didn’t have psychic powers, if they even existed.

“Well, just asking.” The Pearl murmured.

The duo continued to hide in the shadows, with Nao spying around the corner occasionally. Tomoe in the meantime simply peered down, feeling rather annoyed by their situation. What’s this? Cat and mouse? “Do you _ have _to keep watching? I could always visit her some other day.” Tomoe grumbled, the energy to keep up this silly mask waning.

“Oh? You should know that I’m stuck with you now. If I have to be on your tail all the time, I’d like to have a say on where we go.” The redhead retorted, then deciding to sit for the time being also.

So _ this _is how it is? Sighing lowly under her breath, Tomoe figured she was stuck in this situation. “Why? Were you placed under some sort of duress?” Tomoe knew fully well the Trias had stuck Nao onto her. She was warned about it by the butch herself. Why warn her though? Wasn’t that silly? But she wasn’t Chie Hallard, was she?

“_ Me _ , scared of _ Hallard _? Don’t be ridiculous.” Growing up in Artai, Nao had quickly learnt to read people, and exploit them when required. It was a skill that kept her out of trouble for the most part. Of course, such an ability fell short when it came to Miss Maria, who appeared almost flawless. Luckily, it seemed to have rewarded her a slight advantage over Tomoe. Empathy isn’t one of her strongest points. It would however be troublesome to get on Hallard’s bad side; She would be less likely to turn a blind eye on Nao’s misdemeanor, and she would have to act like a proper student more. Besides, it was pretty annoying, and her gang needed her. “Let’s just say I owe her some favours.” She turned to look at Tomoe casually, wondering how she would respond to that.

_ ‘Don’t we all owe favours?’ _Tomoe mused, looking into the nearby forest. Being almost right beside it, she began to wonder what was inside. They had always been forbidden from the Sprites’ Forest. Probably due to its close proximity with the Black Valley, and everyone knew how dangerous that nomadic land is. “I know the sort of person she is.” She replied. “But I don’t understand her motivation at all.” Why would she care what happens to others? Wouldn’t it be best to get rid of your rivals?

“Colour me surprised. You want to understand others?” The Pearl joked, finding what she shared to be highly amusing. The Coral was much less humoured, her feelings betrayed by a momentary scowl. Oops? _ ‘I guess she was being honest.’ _She awkwardly cleared her throat. “Sometimes there are people we’ll never understand. It’s strange how close we can actually get to them, but understanding them is a separate thing altogether.” Nao mused to the younger girl, whilst trying to avoid pushing her too far.

“...You sound like an old hag.” Tomoe eventually sneered after what seemed like a volatile moment. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” The redhead chuckled.

A few silent moments passed them by, and Tomoe got bored. Looking discreetly around the corner, nobody was seen. This was irritating, and with Nao sitting by closely she felt uncomfortable. Another urge to throw insults rose, causing her to shift her gaze back to the Pearl. Nao had lifted a leg with the other loosely crossed beneath it. Seemingly uncaring of her skirt, Tomoe frowned. “Not bothered about flashing anyone?” She grumbled, her annoyance piquing as the redhead rested a wrist atop her knee. This Pearl was beginning to get on her nerves, and Tomoe couldn’t quite understand why.

“Who cares? Striped panties are meant to be seen. Especially these pink, and white ones, you see?” The unorthodox Pearl chuckled. She seemed to be in a good mood somehow, despite their situation. Perhaps it was because Tomoe seemed to have taken an interest in her?

“_ Why _would anyone want to look at your underwear?!” The Coral shot Nao an incredulous look at fist, but now that she had mentioned their pattern… Tomoe’s curiosity got the better of her, and her sight flicked downwards for a split second. Her slip-up didn’t go unnoticed.

“Oh, I saw that!” Nao chortled, incredibly amused that the Coral even took the bait.

“You-!” Tomoe’s expression twisted, and she shot the Pearl a flustered glare. Tearing her gaze away from her, Tomoe scoffed. “You think I’m interested in _ you _?” Who did Juliet think she was? An inexperienced child?

Much to Tomoe’s chagrin, Nao took longer than expected to calm down. After several deep breaths, the Pearl admitted; “At least I’m taking an interest in you now.” 

Tomoe couldn’t tell whether Juliet was taking her seriously. Pondering for a moment--until the redhead’s chuckling interrupted her mulling, that is. _ ‘She definitely thinks she has her little finger wrapped around me; This woman…’ _“How charming.” Rising from the floor, Tomoe shifted her legs. Again, she looked around the corner, noticing a small group of Corals leaving. Behind them, Miss Maria followed. Jabbing her shoe into the redhead’s leg, she gestured her to stand. “Get up, she’s leaving.”

“I think you broke my leg with your kick.” The Artain smirked, getting up onto her feet, and brushing herself off. Only receiving a flat stare, the duo started at an inconspicuous speed to reduce suspicion. Juliet was lagging behind however. Tomoe was about to turn the corner before she noticed the distance, and with a groan she spun around to return to the redhead.

_ “What’s wrong with you now? Do you _ ** _want _ ** _ to draw attention?” _She hissed in question. To her, it is highly difficult to anticipate what Juliet Nao Zhang would pull on her next. Her antics were driving her insane.

“Seems you really did hurt my leg.” Nao lied through her teeth, even willingly faking a limp against the wall to prove her point.

“But I didn’t even kick you.” Tomoe grumbled.

“I don’t care--carry me.” Nao demanded, stretching her arms out to the bewildered Coral.

Staring at Nao in disgust, and speechlessness, Tomoe jeered. _ ‘Dumbass moron.’ _ Turning around, she quickly knelt. Pointedly she glanced over her shoulder. _ “Well?” _

“Teehee, I’ll take it.” Still pretending her injury, Nao hobbled over to the younger woman, and draped herself over her back. It was way more chiseled than Nao expected, since it was hidden under the horrific uniform. Even after materialisation, the robe would partially conceal her back as well. As Tomoe stretched her arms back to grab onto her thighs, Nao could clearly feel the muscles contracting, and relaxing in many different portions. It felt as though her back was a separate living creature on its own, writhing, and twisting under her. Nao found it strangely comforting to rest against her back, despite the grotesque texture. She was also quickly realising how horrible it would be to face Tomoe Marguerite in a fight to the death. _ ‘This girl is a beast.’ _ She felt slightly worse for Arika now. _ ‘Kruger’s blind to make her only the second Coral.’ _

Letting her hands wander, Nao tried feeling her up. From the touches, it certainly felt as though Tomoe’s physique is unparalleled amongst the other students. Underestimating her power would be a death sentence, possible even for Meister Otome. _ ‘Heck, she could probably subdue Yukariko with brute force.’ _

“Would you mind not touching me up?” Tomoe muttered inactively. She was tired of Nao’s antics. Walking them into the corridor, the students throughout the building immediately noticed them. She could care less. Heading straight for the lab, Tomoe suddenly realised why Nao was faking this; She was doing this for her? Tomoe had to admit that carrying Nao to Helene did give a good impression. Shouldering open the lab door, the temperature instantly cooled. “Try touching me up again, and I’ll drop you down the stairs.” She wasn’t kidding.

“Duly noted.” Nao could sense the threat in her voice, which made her pull her hands back onto her shoulders. Just like her back, Tomoe’s shoulders were extremely well-developed. It took a conscious effort on Nao’s part to avoid pinching them. It took Nao a while to realise it, but it was getting chillier as the pair descended down the steps. Helene’s lab was a place she rarely ventured to, since she preferred the warmth of the garden pavilion. Her body shivered, reminding her of the time spent homeless in Artai. The country is cold year round, but the winters are especially freezing. When the Grand Duke had discovered her, she was on death’s door with her rigid body covered in frost. Inexplicably, Tomoe’s beastly back was as warm as the one that saved her those years back. It made her want to hold on a little tighter.

“Doctor Helene?” Tomoe called into the cylindrical lab. She looked around for the medical scientist; Only the hum of machinery greeted her instead. Heading down the rest of the steps, she adjusted Nao against her. In response the redhead only tightened her arms around her shoulders, and she rolled them in response. “Stop that.” She mumbled. Where _ was _this woman? Walking further onto the platform, she peered down to the ground floor below. Separated by iron rails, she observed the Founder’s System. All five pillars were down, indicating that none of the Columns were materialised.

Was she with Yumemiya, Tomoe wondered? _ ‘Probably. Should I try the infirmary?’ _ To hell with it, she’d check. She wanted to see the damage she had done to Yumemiya anyway. Hopefully Nao wasn’t playing a trick on her by dragging her here. _ “Did you come up with a story for that leg yet?” _

Nao rolled her head onto the Coral’s shoulder in response. “Let’s just say I slipped, and fell from a tree for once. My shin hit the branch because I was trying to catch my book.”

“You stupid cat, your leg would be bruised.” It was quite a ridiculous tale, even if the Pearl was occasionally spotted in a tree from time to time. Compounded by the lack of visible injury, Helene would probably throw them out of her lab for wasting her time; _ If _it was the usual situation anyway. “As if she would believe that.”

“Meow.”

A warm puff of air tickled across Tomoe’s neck, surprising her--though she’d rather die than let it be known to the jester. _ ‘Is she doing this on purpose? To see how I will react?’ _Tomoe’s muscles tensed up only slightly.

“We don’t need to convince her of anything. You’d still get credit for carrying me here.” Nao turned her head to face the walls, causing her hair to brush against the Coral’s neck. “Anyway, shall we try the infirmary? The Doc doesn’t seem to be here.”

“I can see that.” The duo stepped off the platform, and turned to move towards their new destination. Tomoe wondered if they would run into any of the Columns when they entered Yumemiya’s ward. If they were in there, having the elder Pearl here may dissolve the tension if any confrontation arose. _ ‘How would Shizuru look at me? I hope she is elsewhere, it’s too soon to find out.’ _The thought made the Coral anxious. Without much thought, she propped up Nao’s body against herself a little more.

Almost coyishly, Tomoe peaked into the infirmary chamber. As usual the huge doorway was open for all to see inside. Unsurprisingly, she spied Helene in front of the central bed. Her back was also facing them.

“Doctor Helene?” She called out, the medical scientist immediately spinning on her heel. Upon this action, the Coral managed to see Yumemiya’s face. She was in that ridiculous neck brace still, and she was bruised to kingdom come. _ ‘Good.’ _

“M-Marguerite… What business do you have here?” The medical scientist cautiously edged towards her. She eyed the dangerous Coral suspiciously, until she noticed the body slumped against her back. “...Wait, is that Zhang?” Wariness was quickly replaced by worry as Helene approached them swiftly now.

_ ‘Ah, I got an idea.’ _“Yes, Doctor. I found her beneath the trees outside the building. She seems to have hurt her leg.” Tomoe responded quickly, before Helen pulled her towards a spare bed inside the room. “She was awake earlier, but she complained of feeling sick.”

_ ‘Wait, what are you saying?’ _

Tomoe flawlessly put on an expression of concern as Helene fussed over the pretending Nao. Thanks to that, Nao had to fake remaining unconscious. It would backfire on her in the future if she revealed their trickery. What else could Tomoe do in this situation anyway? Crossing her arms, she wondered whether to say anything. The atmosphere was incredibly thick, and she unintentionally glanced at Yumemiya. The girl was still knocked out cold. “...Will she be fine?”

“I’m unsure.” The doctor murmured, and Tomoe realised she was talking about Nao instead. ...Wait, had they both pulled this off? Helene was notorious for seeing through anything-

“-I’m going to add a boost to her nano-machines.” The doctor spoke, rummaging into a bag by the bed’s side. From inside the bag, she brought out a container of syringes. Unbeknownst to the medical scientist, Nao visibly paled.

_ ‘Oh, shit.’ _

With some poking around, Helene fished out one of the thickest needles Tomoe had ever seen. It was unexpectedly broader than the ones used to infuse their bodies with nano-machines. Tomoe felt a pang of guilt for putting the Pearl into this situation, but for just a moment. However, a sense of sadistic glee quickly arose, replacing any shred of sympathy. _ ‘This is payback, Juliet Nao Zhang.’ _

Despite her tranquil appearance, Nao was internally panicking. Did Helene just did mention boosting her nano-machines?! But why?! She wasn’t severely injured!

_ “Can you help me, Marguerite? Just hold her down while I administer the boost through her artery. It would be faster--crucial if she has sustained _ ** _brain_ ** _ damage.” _

_ ‘Through my _ ** _what_ ** _ ?!’ _

“Yes, Doctor.” Tomoe could hardly conceal her smirk, which luckily escaped Helene’s attention. She was intensely focused on injecting the boost smoothly, as one wrong move could be fatal. The Pearl may even bleed to death if she wasn’t careful.

Nao’s heart raged as she was unable to observe what was happening. She could hardly see light being blocked from above her, whilst her upper arms were firmly held down. Normally, Juliet is fearless, but _ this? _Under these circumstances, she couldn’t help but sweat. The treatment was something she had never received before. That, and she had heard of the agony that she would soon experience herself.

_ ‘Fuck.’ _

The needle plunged into her artery, causing her to shriek out, and her body to react violently in pain. The sensation of the syringe shot from the point of entry to the tips of her fingers, which in response rolled into fists. If it wasn’t for Tomoe holding her down, Nao would’ve leapt up, and whipped the needle from out of her neck.

This agonised expression — and the saliva that dribbled unrestrainedly — would be engraved into Tomoe’s memory for a long, _ long _while.

“And… there we go. She will be in pain for quite a while.” Helene removed the needle mechanically, and slapped a cotton pad over the puncture mark. “Thank you for bringing her here.” Applying tape over the pad to secure it, she added; “I trust you can keep an eye on Zhang while I prepare the report?” As the Coral nodded, the doctor up, and left the room hurriedly.

_ “Tomoe Marguerite, you _ ** _bitch_ ** _ .” _ Her voice was incredibly ragged, and her hair plastered her face from sweat. Heaving, she tossed a glance towards the doorway, and fortunately didn’t see Helene. _ “That wasn’t part of the plan!” _She hissed.

“What else was I supposed to do?” Personally Tomoe was rather proud of herself. They had managed to pull this off. “Besides, couldn’t you wake up now?”

“I would much rather ** _sleep_ ** than experience more of this pain.” The Pearl lamented. She spied Tomoe eye Arika oddly, and pressed a palm to her throat. Nao could already feel her nano-machines swarming inside her veins hyperactivity. It made the entirety of her body tingle, urging her to itch herself unrelentlessly. With this dire need, she sat up quickly. This caused Tomoe’s attention to drag back to her from Arika. “What?” Nao cocked an eyebrow.

“Your personality sure changes when pissed.”

“Let me plunge a finger into your neck then! See if you’d like that.” Scratching her arms, Nao grumbled under her breath restlessly. She had heard that these nano-machine boosts had side-effects. Oh, boy did she understand the feeling now. She would get Tomoe back for this; mark her words. But _ how? _A tract of devious ideas plotted themselves inside her mind. Yes. She would have her rev-

“-I know you’re plotting something.” Tomoe propped herself onto the stool by the bed, and crossed a leg atop the other. Tilting her head, she watched the Pearl closely, sliding her tongue along her teeth thoughtfully. “But I owe you a favour now.”

“Good that you remember!” Nao snapped before she started rubbing all over her body maniacally. The goosebumps were sending her over the edge, causing the hair on her body to stand on end. This hypersensitivity was _ awful _. It pulsed, and rampaged beyond her physical flesh, hiding from her scratching nails with ease.

“You alright there? You’ll explode if you squirm too much.” Tomoe threw her a mild concerned glance. Juliet was acting far too abnormally, to the point where she could no longer predict the Pearl’s next action.

“Shut up. Leave me alone.” Lying on her side, Nao threw the blankets over herself. “...Go take a look at Arika. Helene _ probably _ wouldn’t mind.” She mumbled almost inaudibly. A wave of nausea washed over her, which she desperately tried to suppress.

Tomoe nearly felt bad for the jester. She couldn’t imagine how agonising the boost must be for her to react so uncharacteristically. Her initial nano-machine infusion had experienced very little side-effects. She was eternally grateful for this. “You have my thanks.” Picking herself up from the stool, she hovered a hand towards the Pearl’s shoulder. “You’ve got a girly voice--use it.” Tomoe ended with a snide remark. However, before she could clutch the woman’s shoulder, Nao pulled the blanket over her head.

_ ‘Kill me now.’ _

Rounding her fingers into a loose fist, Tomoe straightened. Drifting her gaze across the prone figure underneath the fabric, she then dragged her attention to Yumemiya. Now able to fully observe the fellow Coral, Tomoe could clearly witness the damage she had sustained.

Yumemiya’s face was heavily bruised, and a breathing mask was securely tied to her. If Tomoe hadn’t been in a good mood, she might’ve had the urge to momentarily remove it. But even she wasn’t _ that _twisted. Or at least she didn’t assume so. With the pigtailed Coral remaining knocked out, her amusement quickly transformed into disinterest. Slothfully returning to Nao’s side, she sat down upon the stool. “Tell you what. Do you want a certain book?” She eyed the fiery redhead’s figure shift ever so slightly. “Something not necessarily legal?”

Not legal? Now _ that _certainly piqued Nao’s interest. What was on Tomoe’s mind? Turning her head, she eyed the Coral warily. “Where would you get something like that?”

“The forbidden library, surely.” Inwardly, Tomoe rolled her eyes. She had expected the renegade Pearl of all people to have at least _ thought _of going in there. “I have heard rumours of a certain book down there that might take your mind out your misery: The Life and Times of Convicted Otome.”

That was a title Nao hadn’t heard in a long while. It was a book she had heard of shortly before enrolling into Garderobe. However, the Grand Duke didn’t have it in his collection. The library didn’t have it either, so she had to abandon her wish in reading it. Even Windbloom had banned such a book. A slight pause hung before lime orbs peeked begrudgingly. “...What of it?”


	2. After School Tea Time

It had been two days since the duo’s exciting escape. Fortunately for Tomoe, she had been let off the hook somewhat. Once Helene returned with her report though, so had Miss Maria. She was mildly surprised that she hadn’t been decked by the epitome of grace then and there. She had after all knocked Yumemiya out cold, essentially hospitalising her in the process. At the very least, Tomoe expected a rank demotion--hell, she had _ assumed _the possibility of being expelled. For whatever reason, however, Kruger withheld the punishments.

Instead, Tomoe Marguerite was cooped up inside the detention tower. She had been ever since Helene returned two days ago. All she knew was that she hadn’t been kicked from Garderobe. The identity of the informant who told her so was still unknown. She supposed she would have to ask around once she was out. Left to boredly mull, Tomoe stared at the adjacent wall. She sat atop the tower’s bed, wondering what time it was.

_ “How are you?” _A voice echoed into her chamber; startling the Coral.

“W-who’s there?” Tomoe stood gingerly--her body had gotten stiff as well. Approaching the door, she aimed an ear towards it.

_ “It’s Chie. You’ve forgotten my voice already?” _ The tomboy Otome signed dramatically. Remaining on the other side, Chie hovered her rose to her face before setting the stem against the metal door. Every so often, she tapped it.

“Oh, you.” Tomoe sat down and rested her back against the door. “Why are you here?”

_ “To check up on you, of course.” _ Tomoe could clearly imagine Hallard grinning on the other side, to her mild annoyance. _ “Nao is with me too, if you want to know.” _

That jester is here too? Tomoe wasn’t sure how to feel about this, considering how they had gotten along. An obnoxious voice resonated into the room, much to her irk.

_ “Hi, still alive in there?” _Nao tapped on the door; her knocks hitting where Tomoe’s head was. She was squatting down unladylike again, wasn’t she?

_ ‘Okay, I wish she wasn’t here now.’ _The Coral purposefully ignored the redhead, and addressed the other Pearl instead. “How’s Yumemiya?” She guessed she should ask for reputation’s sake.

_ “Funny you should ask.” _ Hallard remarked. _ “Arika is fine, thankfully. Just the same ‘ol her.” _

_ ‘Tch.’ _“Good to hear she’s still alive, then.” The disappointment was rather evident in her tone. But she didn’t have the energy to cover herself, nor care. Yumemiya was one she would rather never deal with ever again. It had taken far too long to crush a mere ant like her, and to hear she was well? Her inhuman resilience was driving Tomoe insane. It was beginning to spur Tomoe into harming her further. Already the mere mention of Yumemiya’s name was producing twisted ideas inside her head. Oh, the things she could, and would do to h-

_ “Come now, Tomoe. I know you can do better than that.” _She heard Hallard’s persistence float through the door. Again, she heard tapping against the door; and she could only assume it was Nao.

“Don’t you have anything better to do, like flirting with the underaged Corals?” Tomoe grumbled, wrapping her arms around her thighs. This was beginning to get infuriating already. “When can I get out of here?” It had already been two days now, surely? Only the narrow window close to the ceiling clued her on the time. It seemed to be around the afternoon.

_ “We’re here to release you, actually.” _ Hallard confirmed with her, rubbing her chin slightly. _ “You’re slated for release in a few minutes.” _

“Oh.” A flat reply.

_ “Well, I’ll be leaving you two lovebirds, then.” _The Pearl chuckled, earning an incredulous stare from the squatting redhead.

“Wait, what? What did you just say-_ CHIE HALLARD. YOU STOP RIGHT THERE!” _Tomoe’s demand was met with all but the sound of dispersing footsteps. Lovebirds?! What on Earl had been happening whilst she’d been stuck in this tower? What did Nao babble on about this time? “Juliet! What did you say to that womaniser?!” Her roar echoed throughout her chamber. It would’ve prompted a longer detention period if Miss Maria were here. She couldn’t care less.

_ “It wasn’t me, I swear. People seem to think that you placed a hickey on my neck.” _Standing up, Nao nervously dug her hands into her tabard, searching for the key Chie had entrusted her with.

How, why, whe--Who even came up with such a ridiculous rumour?! Usually it was clear as daylight that Tomoe had always been enamoured to Shizuru. Even the Column herself had been aware of it for years; who could’ve been so blind? The idiocy of it all, she would pull the culprit’s tongue out if she ever found her. “_ How _ did they manage to connect that?! They heard the boosters made you sick, right?” Tomoe turned her head so she could hear the elder better. Why were teenagers always so dumb? Or had it been a _ Pearl? _ Just _ who?! _“It wasn’t Woods, was it?”

_ “Who knows, plenty of people saw us that day.” _

The amusement in Juliet’s voice drove Tomoe to the edge. _ ‘Why is she not taking this seriously?!’ _

_ “There, I got the key. Let’s get you out of there.” _

“You idio-” The door swung open, revealing the redhead to Tomoe. “Why is your neck still bandaged?!” The Coral hissed upon exiting the cramped tower. Her eyes shot to the elder’s throat, and approached her. She was irritable, and on the verge of pulling the bandages off herself. _ “What _ happened?”

“The hole Helene ripped into my neck still hasn’t closed completely. So the wound looks like a _ huge _hickey. You wanna see?” Reaching towards her throat, Juliet pulled down the fabric like a scarf. Peeling the plaster off revealed a distinctively shaped wound. Even Tomoe had to admit it looked like a love bite.

“That’s… oh.” Tomoe muttered, trailing off in further inspection. It was incredibly sore, red, and had a large puncture within the centre. She could now understand why people would think it was a hickey. But _ surely _everyone knew Nao had, quote unquote, fallen out of a tree? Tomoe wondered whether Helene believed their tale now. The scientist had always been a mystery. She was a difficult one to deal with, and one Tomoe preferred to stay away from. She supposed she could deal with it though, Tomoe mused. “...Sorry.” She grumbled to the redhead, feeling wary as an unmistakable smirk plastered across Juliet’s face.

“Little Tomo-Tomo is _ apologising _? Did you lose your mind in there?” Nao practically leered at her.

“Call me that again, and I’m locking _ you _in the tower.” Tomoe threw her a disgusted look.

“Oh, scary.” Lifting her hands up in front of herself, Nao’s expression merely twisted further. Taking a few steps backwards, her amusement didn’t cease. “I got you out; the least you could do is thank me.” “For something that tomboy would have done already? I don’t see why I should.” Tomoe responded sarcastically, brushing stray strands of hair from her face.

_ “I heard that!” _Hallard’s voice echoed from the stairway, though she didn’t sound the least offended.

Not too sure how to react to the situation, the redhead changed the subject. “About that _ thing _you told me about. Spill the beans over tea, shall we?”

“...Sure.” Tomoe agreed hesitantly. It was unlike her to drink tea, let alone invite someone to drink with her. Tomoe couldn’t imagine the Pearl being prissy, and fusing over her tea. Only her beloved Shizuru was capable of keeping it classy.

“Sweet, let’s go!” Nao grinned from ear to ear; A red flag for the Coral, but she ignored it. Pulling her hands towards Tomoe, she dragged her down the steps by her wrist. Tomoe would’ve protested to this behaviour, but it was better than allowing Hallard’s continued eavesdropping.

Already their fellow students had noticed them. Passing by a flock of them, Tomoe pointedly stared. They had been mumbling before, but were now excitedly yapping. They were like morning birds, and were producing an absolute racket. _ “Why is Marguerite with Juliet?” _ A jumble of other questions were bombarded their way, but Tomoe drowned them out. How was it any of their business anyhow?! They had already somehow assumed Nao’s wound was a _ hickey _!

Dragged out of the building, Tomoe pulled her wrist from out of Nao’s grip. “If I’m going, I want to know where we’re going.” Tomoe brushed her uniform down.

“Oh, there’s this place selling tea that opened up recently in the city. It’s a nice and... _ quiet _ place. Good for us.” Nao vaguely answered, much to Tomoe’s suspicion. A new… tea cafe? Was this girl, who runs her own gang in the shadows, _ really _the type to indulge in feminine little hobbies such as this? Imagining her bringing one of her lackeys into the cafe was impossible.

“Oh… kay?” Tomoe shook her head. She simply couldn’t fathom what the Pearl was thinking.

After showering, and a much needed change of clothes, they were on their way. The duo made their way down into the city, where they attracted some attention immediately. “Ah, are you the number two Coral, Tomoe Marguerite?” _ “Can I have a photo with you?!” _A crowd gathered around the Otome, joining in on the commotion, and clamouring for their attention.

_ ‘Wait, where did Nao disappear to?’ _

“Oh, your hair smells great… Like a field of blooming daisies.” A voice leered from behind Tomoe, almost sending chills down her spine. Whipping her head around, she couldn’t recognise the culprit for a moment. Only the pink, and white stripes gave her identity away. “What are yo-”

“Follow me, please.” The disguised Juliet pulled her out of the crowd, which had grown beyond their control, and was becoming more agitated. While the people were distracted amongst themselves, the duo moved towards one of the darker alleyways where there were several men waiting.

_ “Nao’s lackeys… Those stripes look disgusting on them, as usual.” _Tomoe lamented inwardly, only visibly turning her nose up, and ignoring their existence.

“Now, strip.” Nao commanded, handing the bewildered Coral a duffle bag.

“What the hell, juliet?!” Tomoe shrieked, glaring daggers at the redhead, then the men around them. They looked away sheepishly, seemingly afraid to make eye contact.

“You saw how it went, the public _ loves _you. We won’t be able to stay low if you’re still wearing that uniform.” The jester remarked, pushing the duffle bag into the Coral’s chest. “Don’t worry, the clothes came from your wardrobe, and my boys won’t peek.” The mirth in Nao’s eyes was obvious, even within the shadows. She smiled deviously, licking her lips afterwards.

“...Tch. You too. No peeking.” Tomoe growled. Turning on her heel, Tomoe threw the bag onto the floor, and leant down. Of all things, why?! Why had she willingly thrown herself into this Pearl’s forsaken clutches?! Tomoe’s mind raged, and she shot a look behind her. Nao hadn’t stopped looking, and that ridiculous smile was still slapped against her face. Oh, oh how Tomoe wanted to smack it. _ “Juliet!” _

“What?” Nao grinned.

_ “You.” _ Tightly clutching the bag, Tomoe’s eyes narrowed. “Gagh!” A disgusted noise released from her chest. “You’re a _ bastard _.” She hissed, unzipping the bag. So, this accursed Artain was staring? So what! She’d kick her ass to hell with her ugly clowns!

Still staring at Tomoe, Nao couldn’t help herself. Her smile transformed into a snicker. This was far too much fun. Tormenting Tomoe Marguerite was exhilarating, and the more she did it, the more she wanted it. “Might want to pull up those cute p-”

“-_ Fuck off.” _

“Just saying.” The Pearl shrugged, looking towards the Coral’s thighs. “It doesn’t look comfortable to have your panties and leggings clogged between your cheeks.”

“Shut up before I kill you, and your hideous fuck boys.” Animosity seethed within her words warningly. Tomoe had had enough of the teasing.

Nao merely raised her eyebrows, and frowned slightly. She did not like it when her gang gets the brunt of the insults. Rolling her eyes nonetheless, she continued watching the Coral amusedly. The Pearl managed to get a white collared shirt, and a pair of black trousers from Tomoe’s astonishingly sparse wardrobe. The only clothing she had in great variety were lingerie. _ ‘Kinky’. _

Tomoe was somewhat surprised that the Artain was considerate enough to steal clothes from her own wardrobe, instead of making her wear those awful stripes. What is with Juliet’s fashion sense anyway? What on Earl is she thinking with those oversized trousers? Tomoe could see her panties! ...On closer look, were those actually boxers? Tomoe cocked her head slightly.

“Oh, where are you looking, you pervert?” The Pearl sneered, the amusement in her voice still eminent.

“Hmpt. Says the one who is watching me change.” Tomoe rolled her eyes in annoyance. Discreetly, she adjusted her underwear, and leggings just in case. Pulling up the trousers was the easy part, since she could do it under the cover of her uniform. The problem would be having to take it off to put on the shirt which she still needs to button up. _ ‘Argh.’ _What she would do to kill this irksome Otome… Whatever, she guessed. Off with the uniform the clothes came, and she let it land atop the duffle bag. Somehow, she could still feel the Artain’s eyes burning into her back. Having an inkling as to why, she shoved the thought aside. She was plenty fitter than her fellow Corals, after all. Her torso was perhaps the most refined due to combat training. Though she never did understand why other students never bothered to muscle up properly. Surely it’s a desirable advantage, especially for an Otome?

In spite of this, Tomoe cared less. Putting her shirt on, the sleeves came to her elbows. The clothing was a good fit, at least, and dealt with the Windbloom heat well. She would give Nao credit for that.

“...By the way.” Nao muttered, watching her button up her shirt. “The curfew got changed to 10pm, so we have the whole night.” She all but simpered.

“In a cafe?” Tomoe became much more suspicious. She was told that they would be in a ‘cafe’, but _ which _cafe would let them stay until such hours?

“Hm, yes.” Nao cleared her throat, realising that she had almost given away her plan already. Tomoe only eyed her warily, but failed to learn anything else from her behaviour. 

No longer wanting to be in such an embarrassing situation, the Coral swiftly buttoned up the rest of her shirt, and loosely tucked it into her trousers.

“There are glasses too.” The elder Otome reminded with slight impatience. Even if they have all day, Tomoe was taking too much time.

“Fine, fine.” Tomoe responded, kneeling down to get the glasses she hadn’t noticed before. Fishing them out, she inspected them. They looked oddly familiar somehow, until Tomoe looked at Nao’s hat. “Wait, aren’t these yours?”

“Oh, yeah, they are. So that we would match. Isn’t that nice?” Nao chuckled, putting the glasses onto the bridge of her nose.

“Ugh, you and your silly tricks.” Tomoe groaned, and equipped them nevertheless. Unlike Nao’s yellow ones, these were bright orange, and contrasted grotesquely with her teal hair. 

“Pfft… you look good in those.” The Pearl barely stifled the laughter bubbling from within, before it erupted, and echoed down the alleyway.

_ “SHUT UP, BEFORE I MAKE YOU!” _Tomoe was ready to throttle the Pearl.

“I’ll only stop if you kiss me.” Nao was in tears. This was far too much fun!

Kiss _ her _ ? _ “You can’t be serious.” _ Tomoe deadpanned her. Squinting her eyes in an attempt to see through the glasses, Tomoe realised all she could see was tinted orange. Nao was still bawling with laughter at her, and she seethed; “Be quiet!” What was with this group? The striped goons had even been staring at her after she was done changing. “Gagh! Whatever then. Just fine.” She glowered, snatching the redhead’s scarf into her fists. Pulling the Pearl towards her, she pushed closer. Their glasses smashed against each other instead. Pulling away sharply, she eased the glasses back to rub her nose.

_ “Y-you really were going to…!-” _A strained guffaw released deeply from Nao’s chest.

“Just… Just shut up already.” Tomoe stared death into the wall beside her. Juliet was practically staggering to the point of collapse. With her anger intensifying, she whirled around. “Where’s this stupid ‘cafe’?” She demanded from the tallest goon.

“Uh-it’s, er. I-I don’t know!” The man stammered. Despite his hulk appearance, and gruff voice, he knew better than to underestimate _ the _Tomoe Marguerite.

“Useless.” The dangerous Otome huffed, and squeezed herself through past the men who had been ordered to seclude the duo from the public. Leaving, the alleyway branched to a T-section. Walking down the path led to a sleazier part of the city, close to the red light district, and the slums. It was one of those areas which Tomoe avoided; Not only because it’s filthy, and filled with gross dwellings, but also because it would stain her reputation. Unbeknownst to her, Juliet was following closely behind her.

Since Tomoe had no idea where this ‘cafe’ is, she wandered around on the street. She noticed that she was being eyed by some of the public in the area, but that was to be expected. Despite her disguise, Tomoe still appeared far too proper, and was definitely out of place here. Eager to get out of view, she disappeared down a different alleyway.

_ ‘I wonder if she already knows where our destination is?’ _Nao mused, watching as the Coral slipped out of view for a moment before following behind her. If they had still been walking together, this would’ve been the route she would lead them.

When Tomoe reached the end of the alleyway, she realised that she had entered the red light district. The streets were filled with disgusting older men, and aged hookers dressed up in all sorts of outfits. Some even wore bootleg Garderobe uniforms, and had pierced their ears with fake GEMs. Quickly attracting unwanted attention, she was soon stopped by a drunken geezer, who reeked of alcohol, bad breath, and expired sex. _ ‘Stupid degenerate, get out of my sight!’ _

“Ey, ‘ung-’gun, yer gunna gimmie a price?”

Tomoe stared at the man dumbfounded before anger swarmed down on her.

“Girly! Oi! One-’undred? Two? I ain’t got all d--_ guh _.” A sickened expression flooded the drunkard’s face, and he stumbled. Staggering right into a hooker he did, and his attention fluidly manoeuvred to her; “Eyy, pre’y lassey. Yer a’ ‘tome, right?”

What a disgusting pig. Tomoe winced at the sight then swiftly power-walked down the street. Now, wherever this cafe was, it certainly wasn’t-

_ “-Hi.” _

That obnoxious greeting sounded directly behind her, and Tomoe barely managed to conceal her shock. “Y-you.” To be honest, being in the dumps scared Tomoe. It was much too alien from the Wind she was familiar with. Though she had willingly left the redhead, she regretted doing so.

“Miss me?” The jester grinned.

“As if I would miss you.” Tomoe’s gaze wandered, and caught sight of another cosplaying hooker. “But it’s good that you joined up.”

“Teehee.” Nao snickered, much to Tomoe’s embarrassment. Somehow, Nao managed to catch onto her anxiety. For one who grew up around life’s luxuries, and was rarely denied anything she desired, the slums terrified her. How did people even survive here? How could they stand such standards of living, and not decay into oblivion?

“Can we leave yet?” Tomoe asked, feeling rather unnerved at this point. While they stood there, they were being wolf-whistled at, and shot dirty looks. Especially at Tomoe, since some recognised Nao as the notorious leader of her Robin Hood-esque gang.

“Oh? But we are here already, let’s go in?” Even though it was posed as a question, Juliet gripped onto Tomoe’s wrist, and pulled her towards a nearby establishment without warning. Overhead when they entered the doorway was a sign in neon lettering; _ RORSCHACH BAR. _

Dragged into the gloomy bar, Tomoe’s sense of smell was violently invaded. The dusty scent of cigarette smoke loomed inside the building, and the lighting was extremely dull. Despite so, it strangely calmed her. Compared to the red light district outside, this was heaven. Her composure immediately returned to her, and she discreetly sighed a breath of relief. It was pretty ghetto inside this bar, but it was better than nothing.

“Better? I knew you’d like it.” Nao released her hold from Tomoe, and casually wandered towards the bar.

_ ‘Like?’ _ Too tired to fight against the Pearl, Tomoe simply followed after her. Nao was heading further into the building, and glanced towards her. Lifting a hand, she signalled to her lazily, wafting her fingers. _ ‘Ugh.’ _ Spotting some overlooking men from a distance, Tomoe picked up the pace behind Nao. Even if she felt calmer, this was _ still _the red light district. The Otome could not help but keep her guard up, and want to stick closer to the elder.

Leading them over to the barkeeper’s counter, the man stereotypically wiped glasses, and eyed them for a moment. “Hey, Takeda. I brought a friend over.” She cheerily greeted the stoic man, who may only be a few years older than the duo.

The corner of his lips rose into what seemed like a smile, but it appeared more forced than the Otome-cosplaying hookers. The unnatural expression put Tomoe off greatly, and she felt somewhat disturbed; especially from the passionate look in his gaze. _ “He’s your friend?” _She cocked an eyebrow at Juliet, who was making herself at home on a counter stool.

“You could say that we have a symbiotic relationship.” Nao responded vaguely as she removed her accessories. It was enough that Tomoe decided not to pursue the matter. This man, Takeda, felt like someone she wouldn’t want to become close with. “Anyway, what would you like to drink? My treat.”

“Tea…?” Tomoe’s eyebrows remain lifted.

“I’m afraid they don’t serve that here.” The Juliet grinned mischievously.

_ ‘I knew it. This sneaky woman.’ _Tomoe grumbled inaudibly under her breath, already expecting that it would not turn out the way Nao had put it earlier. She stared deadpanned at the redhead.

“Takeda, I‘ll get a Margue--wait; a _ Margarita _. Slip of the tongue.” Tomoe tossed her an incredulous look, while a cocky grin was merely shot her way. “You?”

Unamused, Tomoe continued to stare at her. Had she seriously gone there? _ ‘At this rate nothing from her would surprise me.’ _ It seemed this shady bar didn’t care whether it was serving the underaged either. But, oh well; The red light district was shunned by the law, after all. Windbloom’s drinking age was twenty years. Tomoe herself had only recently hit eighteen...Veering her gaze from Nao, she landed her eyes upon the menu. It was suspended above the bar on a selection of chalkboards. She had never even heard of most of these drinks before. Were these even local-- _ ’Sizzle me Drizzle: Archmeister’s Special.’ _

_ ‘What? Huh? _ ** _Sizzle me_ ** _ \--’ _ Tomoe confoundedly stared at the drink’s name. Lowering her gaze down, she spotted another: _ ‘Fleur d’alto--’ _ “What are these names?!” She accused Nao, her lighter tone snapping into a higher pitched one. “Flower of Viola?!” Was Nao trying to be funny with her? What _ was _this?! Complete, and utter confusion swarmed Tomoe’s mind. This bafflement only rose higher as Nao’s body quivered in an attempt to stop laughing.

_ “Pasión de la Viola?!” _As Tomoe stood from the stool she had sat upon, the redhead was only unresponsive. Juliet only slammed her fists onto the counter.

“Miss.” Bartender Takeda addressed the bewildered Otome, who turned to look at him expectantly. “Once we heard that Miss Marguerite would be visiting, we designed an avant garde menu specially catered to your tastes.” He explained with a troubled expression. “Perhaps you don’t like it?”

“What? … Right.” Tomoe mumbled, rolling her eyes as the elder Pearl regained her composure. “Ugh. I’ll take the… _ Pasión de la Viola. _” She couldn’t believe she was actually going along with this.

“And not the Archmeister’s Special? I think you will certainly love it. It has _ an elegant _taste.” Nao sniggered with a trace of perversion.

“You tried it?!” Perplexedly, Tomoe shot the redhead a look, feeling a sense of loss somehow despite the foolishness of it all.

“Oh yeah, sure. It certainly tastes how I’d imagine that Archmeister to taste. Takeda has skill, you know?” Nao could hardly keep her laughter in check at this point.

The mockery was driving Tomoe, whom would rather storm out of the bar at this point, to oblivion. She would have nuked this entire district if she could. However, her anxiety kept her in check. Heaving herself back onto the stool, Tomoe defeatedly muttered; “Bartender, prepare the Sizzle me Drizzle: Archmeister’s Special for me, please.” The redhead only snorted in response. _ ‘Give me a break.’ _ Propping her elbows onto the counter, she rested her head in her hands. Of all things. She had escaped the tower, and now _ this _? Why on Earl was her life a helter skelter around this infuriating woman?

After a few dull moments, soon, a glass was slid in front of her. The liquid was a translucent hue of violet-azure. Oddly enough, jagged crystals floated within the cocktail, sizzling away. Staring at the drink, she could not help but find it strangely beautiful, and exotic. It was the total opposite of their sordid environment. In fact, very similar to the Archmeister herself. Watching the blue diffusing into the purple, Tomoe grumbled. _ “I swear, if this makes me ill…” _ Cautiously she brought the glass to her lips, and took a hesitant sip of the cocktail. It was so _ bitter _! Leaning back, her expression twisted. It was overpowering to the point that she had to place the glass down.

“I guess Tomo-Tomo is too young for something like this.” Nao sighed dramatically, drumming her nails along the counter. Supporting her head with a hand, her lips drew into a grin.

_ “Don’t belittle me!” _ Tomoe growled, then glared down at her drink. How could she finish this when it was so bitter? Shizuru would _ never _taste like this! Tomoe had imagined the Archmeister to taste much mellower with a hint of lavender.

“I could prepare a new drink without the crys-” Takeda tried to suggest, but was curtly interjected by the Artain.

“-Would you like to swap with me then?” Nao proposed, languidly pushing her Margarita in Tomoe’s direction. “I assure you, this would probably taste much better. I’ve tried some so I know.”

“If you insist then.” Tomoe reluctantly swapped Nao’s drink with hers, and took a sip. Indeed, it was much more refreshing with a hint of spice, and floral scents. Taking another, she noticed Nao watching her with a mischievous stare. _ ‘Oh no.’ _

“Score: An indirect kiss!” The elder exclaimed somewhat excitedly, while sipping on her Sizzle me Drizzle. It seemed that some of the alcohol had already gone to her head, because she was giggling like a stupid fangirl. Was the bitterness from the alcohol?

“Excuse me, Juliet?” Tomoe was astonished by her flip in demeanour. _ Why _would Nao drag her to the red light district when she was such a lightweight?

“You’re excused! _ Hic-- _Goodness, you meanie.”

_ ‘Oh, no. She’s delirious already.’ _

Takeda watched her behaviour rather curiously; since he had never witnessed such drunkenness from her before. She always commanded self-control when drinking at his bar; Then again this was the first time she had drunk anything more than a sip.

“Takeda, do you have a room in the back we can borrow?” Tomoe requested with hesitation. She would rather not have to depend on this stranger, but attracting unwanted attention would be even worse.

“Yes. Right this way, please.” Steadying the pathetic lightweight into her side, the bartender lead Tomoe into a dimly lit room. “I will get your drink, and a glass of water for Juliet.”

Fortunately, Tomoe remembered to take the duffle bag with them. Unceremoniously dropping it onto the floor, she surveyed the room. It was just a bed with a shoddy nightstand. The light atop appeared to be an oil lamp; something she hadn’t seen since childhood.

_ “Sardine… no, come back to me…” _Nao mumbled into her ear, her head lulling against Tomoe’s throat.

Seriously, how had it come to this? Heading to the bed, Tomoe eased the redhead gently onto the it. _ ‘We have come this whole way, and this idiot lightweight gets drunk in the red light district. What about the book?’ _ Crossing her arms, Tomoe stared at the Artain unsympathetically. Suddenly, it occurred to her that this wretched Otome is unconscious, and totally defenseless. If she wanted to do _ anything _ to her, the girl would hardly notice. Tomoe’s lips stretched into a sinister smile. _ ‘Perhaps I shall strip her as well.’ _Reaching for the braces attached to Nao’s trousers, she pulled them outwards away from the redhead’s shoulders. She was so focused in this action, that she did not notice the smirk plastered on the jester’s face.

_ “Hi, I see you’re being frisky.” _Nao’s obnoxious tone stunned Tomoe for a moment, who had not expected her to wake at all; let alone sit up. Grinning somewhat seductively, her arms snaked around Tomoe’s armpits for a hug. The Coral was then dragged down onto the bed, with her arms restrained by Nao.

“N-no, I wasn’t doin--I thought you were drunk?!” The nervous look in Tomoe’s eyes greatly amused Nao. As quickly as she had become drunk, the alcohol filtered out of her system.

“I wonder if I still am?” Nao giggled, watching the Coral become visibly uncomfortable at the hasty reversal. An awkward silence fell between the duo, then Nao got impatient. “I believe you owe me a kiss.”

“No, I only owe you information about the book.” Tomoe tried avoiding Nao’s gaze to no avail.

“Oh, that too.” The grin only got a smidgen wider, Nao licking her lips afterwards.

_ Why _ was Nao even able to do this to her? In fact, why was Tomoe even having these thoughts? Continually she had been unable to fathom this woman. Juliet was unrelentless, and it drove Tomoe insane. Yet…? Why did this stupid Pearl _ tempt _ her? Tomoe Marguerite _ loved Shizuru, _ not Nao. No, absolutely not. She _ refused _to even approach this topic, she wasn’t-

“-You’re _ soo _ slow, Tomo-Tomo.” Digits locked her jaw into place, and Nao forced Tomoe to look her in the eye. _ “Right?” _

Rejecting the Artain, Tomoe pulled her head back, and flung it against Nao’s forehead. The blow broke her free from the elder’s hold, allowing her to stumble from off the bed. Breathing slightly heavier than usual, she regained her composure. She could feel her face burning up.

“I’m back with the drinks, Miss Margueri--oh, are you drunk too?” Takeda cocked an eyebrow at the Coral whose ears had gone red.

Spinning on her heel, Tomoe stammered faintly; “N-no. I’m fine. You can put the drinks on the nightstand.” She instructed, veering her gaze away from the curious bartender.

“Well then, I’ll leave you two lovers alone now.” Takeda blinked lopsidedly in what appeared to be an attempted wink. The bartender left without a moment’s notice, leaving the duo alone.

…

_ ‘Son of a whore.’ _

_ “JULIET! _ Look at what you’ve d--Oh.” Spinning back around to glare at the jester, the redhead turned out to be unconscious for real this time. _ “You stupid woman.” _Tomoe grumbled under her breath as she sat on the edge of the bed. Stretching out a hand towards the nightstand, she brought the half finished Margarita to her lips. It tasted far sweeter this time, with a sour twang.

* * *

_ ‘Ugh’. _ Nao felt like she had been driven over by an Aries bus. Placing a damp flannel on top of her face, Nao groaned. _ “Your skull is harder than it looks.” _

“Should I be flattered?” The duo were fully dressed in their uniforms, and had agreed to a “sleepover”. Least, this is what the other students insisted it was. At this rate, Gardrobe would believe they were a married couple. Rolling her eyes at the thought, Tomoe crossed a leg atop the other as she sat at the foot of Nao’s bed. For whatever reason, Soir wasn’t sharing Nao’s room tonight. Had she run off with that prissy Prince again? Whatever, Tomoe cared less. This was much easier with the top Pearl out of their hair. “So, are you _ finally _ ready to discuss a strategy to get the book?” She grumbled. This had gone on for far too long. If they hadn’t been to that ghetto bar in the first place, they may have gotten the book long ago.

“Sure, I’ve been looking into it while you were being a cabbage in your Princess tower.” Tomoe only shot her a deadpan stare, but said nothing more. Both girls were mentally exhausted from their excursion. “The book is in the forbidden library, that much is obvious.” Nao rubbed the flannel over her eyes. “The problem is getting inside there, since it’s guarded by a password. Excluding Maria, and cameras, probably. Any smart guesses for a code?” Leaning back, Nao supported her upper body with her hands.

Ideas? Tomoe hadn’t a clue where to start at all. Nobody knew who came up with the password, how long it was, nor even what language it could be in. Any information about it was vital. “What about you?” She returned the question to the redhead, currently fighting the side-effects of being drunk herself. She didn’t have the energy to think about a damned password. But, surely _ someone _out there would give them information? “Perhaps we could start with one of the history books about Garderobe? I vaguely remember the forbidden library being mentioned in one which Steinberg recommended.” Tomoe assumed that the Columns were also responsible for the password’s control. Maybe Kruger, then?

“We can start with studying the history _ of Garderobe, t-then _.” Nao agreed, her speech slurred slightly from the onset of sleep, and alcohol. She either ignored or didn’t notice the arched brow sent her way. “We would need to plan an escape route as well, and consider any other risks.” She added.

“Do we _ have _to plan that far ahead?” The Coral questioned quizzically.

“Yeah, because stealth isn’t your thing. We’d need a backup plan in case our strategy goes tits up.” Agh, her mind weighed like a sack of rocks.

Throwing the Pearl an unamused glance, Tomoe realised she was right either way. She wondered whether the Columns would be willing to share any information with them. Most likely not, but Shizuru came to mind either way. Asking them directly about Garderobe’s history would be dangerous. Perhaps it would be fine to ask for recommendations of history books? “Fine, I’ll go look into the books we should get tomorrow, then we’ll meet in the library?” Tomoe suggested, but there was no response. Turning to face the Pearl, Tomoe realised that she had fallen asleep again. “Disgusting Juliet, you haven’t even taken a shower yet.”

Wondering whether to be nice, and help the Artain out of her uniform, Tomoe decided against it a moment later. She didn’t particularly want Juliet attempting to jump her again. But they couldn’t exactly sleep in their uniforms. It was bound to be noticed by Miss Maria who would give them flak about it.

Who cares?

Standing from the bed, she opened the duffle bag. No longer were the casual clothes inside. Instead, there were some simple nightclothes present. Completely ignoring Nao’s existence, she turned her back on the redhead. If Nao wanted to get in trouble for sleeping in her uniform, then so be it. Slinging the Pearl one final glance when she got changed, she got into Soir’s bed, and pulled the covers over her head.

That night, she wasn’t spared from the torment of Juliet Nao Zhang, not even in her wildest dreams.


	3. Crushed Illusions

Strangely enough, Tomoe’s slumber had been uninterrupted. She swore she had dreamt, but of what, she hadn’t the faintest clue. All things considered, it was odd since she had slept in someone else’s bed. However, this positivity came crashing down. Tomoe Marguerite was _ pissed. _

During the night, Nao must’ve prowled her way into Tomoe’s borrowed bed. Infuriatingly so, she was lying on top of Tomoe’s back; had Tomoe managed to, she would have thrown Nao off her long ago. But with the Artain dead-weighting her, this was futile.

Tomoe was astonished. The Artain was exceptionally lean and slender. Maybe she simply wasn’t putting enough muscle into pushing Nao away? Though she would require to roll onto her back to get her best strength.

As if in hell she was going to do that. It was bad enough that Nao was pressing against her back. She felt far too warm, and the weight pressed into her chest; It made it difficult to breathe. 

_ “Founder’s sake.” _She cursed under her breath, her voice muffled by Nao’s pillow. This scent of hers wasn’t helping her sanity either. Another thing she had noticed about Nao was her choice in deodorant. It seemed she preferred the intense, male brands. This, with the natural body odour had mixed into a confusing mess.

_ Why _ was Nao insisting on getting so close to her? _ Why _ did she always want to torment her? Tomoe couldn’t understand this woman whatsoever.

Luckily, however, there was a clock on the nightstand. Her eyes drifted to the contraption; the device reading 4:00am. ‘_Urh'. _ She had another hour of this yet. “Get off.” Tomoe grumbled, shifting her head. This did nothing for her situation, Nao’s head only slumping beside hers. ‘_Great_.’

The redhead’s shallow breathing blew against her ear, making Tomoe increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. It was making her unusually aware of the position they were in; especially with the elder’s breasts pressed against her back. She had not changed out from her uniform either. It made her reek mildly of the concoction of smells from her bed, along with the wafts of sweat hitting Tomoe’s nose occasionally.

_ ‘4:10am’. _Time had passed slower than she had hoped. The sleeping girl was the heaviest blanket she ever had, and it prevented her from shifting her posture. Tomoe’s head had been buried in Nao’s scent for a long while now, and she desperately wanted to lie on her back. Perhaps she should kick Nao off of the bed?

_ Once she gets the chance to do so. _

The Artain slept soundly, save for the odd nuzzling into the Coral’s neck. Is she _ really _ asleep? Something felt off to the girl, but she could not put her finger on it. The redhead did not seem conscious, but her hands were _ reaching _ under her armpits; Snaking their way down across her torso then pulling her hips towards her own. 

_ What is she doing?! _ The jester was _ definitely _ awake and teasing her again. Twisting her torso as much as possible, she pulled herself up with her back muscles and whipped around to face Nao. Comically, the action caused the sleeping girl to almost fall. However, she only wrapped her arms tighter around Tomoe.

Exasperated, Tomoe tugged at the molesting arms until she got free; Nao fell to the ground, her head hitting the ground. The impact finally woke her up. Or so Nao had her believe.

Sitting up, Tomoe wheezed and shot a glare down at the redhead. _ “What were you doing?!” _ She hissed angrily at the redhead. Nao had shot up, and fired a look of amusement up to her. _ “Why are you smirking?!” _

She had been awake this whole time! Flabbergasted, Tomoe stared at her until uncomfortably pulling their gaze apart. She’d have no part in this ridiculous teasing! What was she, a stuffed toy to harass in bed?

“Oh?” Nao’s lips tugged into a devious smile. Even Tomoe could see it from the corner of her eye, and she knew fully well of this. Standing, if only a little stunned herself, she cantered back to the bed. “Not even a morning kiss? I feel disapp-”

“-you will be even more when I kick you over.” She should get out of bed before this trickster tried anymore funny business.

Nao only yawned in response. “Would you like to get out of my bed then?” She proposed, confusing the Coral. After all the things that just transpired, what was this Pearl talking about? Not that Tomoe was expecting anything nice from the Artain, but it was a rather sudden change.

“Your bed? This is Soir’s!”

“-I’d like to catch up on my sleep; properly, if you will.” Nao shot a sleepy gaze at Tomoe, who raised a brow in response. 

“...Fine.” The Coral got off the bed and left the sheets as they were. The Pearl promptly climbed into the space that was left open and pulled the sheets over herself. They smelled of Marguerite now, not that she minded too much. She was being honest when she said the Coral did not smell half bad.  
  
Tomoe looked at the lazy Pearl for a moment, and then moved to an open part of the room. Kicking aside the duffle bag, she began to stretch her muscles; the neck, back, her arms, torso and legs. Once the routine was over, she sat on the floor facing the beds and began to do sit-ups.

_ “What the hell are you doing?” _Nao’s voice muffled from against the pillows.

_ What? _Tomoe stared at her, halting from the exercise. With her hands cupped behind her head, she stared at Nao. “What are you talking about?”

“If you wanted to get laid I would’ve groped you mo-”

_ “-So you was awake!” _ Picking herself up from the floor, she strode over to the redhead. _ “I knew it!” _

“So slow.” Nao grumbled, turning her head to regard her. Nonchalantly she eyed Tomoe. “Can I sleep now? I would prefer you not moaning in my room. The others think we’re dating as it is.”

Moaning? Dumbfounded, the Wind native didn’t understand what Nao was on about. Had she… oh. Whilst exercising had she been unconsciously making noise? Thinking aback, Tomoe couldn’t remember.

Realising she had been staring through Nao, she tore her attention from her. “I never noticed.”

“Never noticed how hot you sounded? I guess nobody dared to tell you.” The hint of amusement in Nao’s voice was drowned out by her desire to sleep.

The abrupt revelation made Tomoe feel somewhat shy. Had she been making these erotic sounds the whole time? She wished someone at least told her about it!

Feeling hot and flustered, Tomoe was done with the sit-ups. She spun her body around to face the floor and started doing push-ups. As much as she tried to keep her voice down, her gasps and pants were very audible to Nao. It would have flipped her switch, if she were not trying to sleep.

The girl grumbled inaudibly, _ slightly _ regretting letting Tomoe into her room.

* * *

The hours passed by, and Tomoe was inside the library. For her own sanity she had managed to escape from Nao. Unsurprisingly, the elder student was trying to recover from her mini hangover. Besides, she was hanging out at Wang and Yumemiya’s, sleeping the day away. Like hell Tomoe was going there.

She would never understand how Nao didn’t get expelled. Maybe it was because she was a top student? Whatever, as if she cared either way. Grumbling inaudibly under her breath, she looked in the history section of the library.

Her first plan of action was looking for any construction history books of Garderobe. Even if she found something, she’d then ask Shizuru. Hopefully the Archmeister wouldn’t suspect a thing. Especially since the Corals weren’t learning about Garderobe’s history right now.

Touching her fingers along the spines of the books, Tomoe sighed. _ History of Otome Etiquette, The Twelve Nation War, Our Lady’s Strife, Maria Graceburt: Oldest Otome, Wind Weavers. _Wait a minute. Miss Maria had a book? She was sort of tempted to read it…

Picking it out from the collection, she read the blurb.

_ Maria Graceburt is one of the most influential Otome in existence. Since the Dragon King War four decades ago, she has risen in rank to become known as the Epitome of Grace. Throughout her life she has seen countless battles and personally tutored the legendary Rena Sayers. _

Was this a biography Miss Maria had personally been involved in? It was a surprisingly chunky book too. Four hundred pages couldn’t possibly be enough to detail her whole life though, surely?

Shoving the book back into its slot, she thought nothing more of it. Instead she went back to searching for the required books. _ The Origin and Extinction of the HiME, The Foundation of Garderobe. _Ah, there we are. This one had potential. Taking the book, Tomoe found it to be much heavier than anticipated.

Holding the tome under her arms, she lugged it over to an empty table nearby. Since it was self-study for the first and second period, Tomoe would have more than enough time to get a basic summary. There were other Coral students around as well, taking advantage of the two hours.

As expected, the likes of Nina, Erstin and Irina were not here. Perhaps they were keeping Arinko company? Good, better to keep the noisy crew out of here. It would be annoying to receive dirty looks from them at this point.

Not that those incessant murmurs were keeping out of Tomoe’s way. For the entire morning, she heard excited squeals and noticed girls looking away shyly. What was she, Chie Hallard? There was no reason to warrant this behaviour, _ unless… Is there someone spreading rumours about Nao and herself still? _

Setting the book down, Tomoe wondered whether she had made it worse by exercising in Nao’s room. ‘_To hell with it, the rumours won’t last that long.’ _

Taking a seat, she flipped the worn-out hardcover. Due to its age, the pages were nearly falling off its seams. Tomoe had to exercise a disgusting amount of delicacy, which she would normally reserve for important occasions. One of those times was during the survival hike, when she prepared an intricate meal out of forest edibles together with Wang.

Besides the fact that Nina is the No.1 Coral, Tomoe did not have any particular hatred for the taciturn Otome. She was strong and refined, that is for certain. The two would have developed a healthy rivalry; If not for Tomoe’s obsession with being No.1 and Nina’s repulsion at the Coral’s underhanded tactics. ‘_Not that she’s ever done it either. That stupid Wang, the Duke’s hound ruined her.’ _

Pulling to the contents page, the Coral scanned the list for any relevant chapters.

_ The First Otome, Establishment of the Otome System, The Founding of Garderobe… _Perhaps this could be it? Tomoe flipped the corners of the pages until she found the start of that chapter, and then snapped almost one quarter of the book onto the table carefully. 

The pages were mostly filled with text with only the occasional documentary photographs. Many of them were of the school’s architecture, not yet completed; Tomoe rolled her eyes in annoyance. Skimming the pages, she stopped on a page with the photograph of the entrance to the memorial hall.

_ This zone was designated as a memorial hall for Otome who have fallen in battle. Only in special cases would a retired Otome be memorialised. Otome in exile or with criminal records are barred. People without the authorisation of the Headmistress are not permitted for entry, to maintain the sanctity of the premises. For additional security, the main entrance is protected by a password. _

Oh? Tomoe mused to herself, considering the paragraph carefully. That’s unfair, is it not? The Otome are under the command of their masters, after all. It would not make sense to penalise the ‘weapons’ instead of the ones behind it. It would only make more sense if it were one of the Columns who broke the rules. What of Otome who sacrificed themselves to bring down the nation they were to serve, in an act of betrayal for the ‘greater good’?

_ Further down, under the memorial hall, is the forbidden library. The library is independent from the legislation of international law and the Windbloom Kingdom. This allows for the storage of outlawed titles and precious articles. The design of the space is shared with the Founder’s Chamber; hence it is unlikely to fall under attack. _

There was only one problem with this book, Tomoe found. It was over one hundred years old; who’s to say how accurate it was these days? The architectural designs were more or less the same. They had only had a few alterations this past century. Although some of the blueprints indeed looked a little strange.

Skimming her eyes across another page, Tomoe cocked a brow. It showed an entrance way on the floor of the labs beside the Founder’s System. ‘_Founder’s Way?’ _Tomoe’s curiosity got the better of her. There had been another way into the restricted area? That was strange.

Scribbling down what she had found on a notepad beside her, Tomoe sighed. She leaned her elbow to the table, and her jaw against her hand. Perhaps there were more blueprints lying around somewhere, she pondered? Fiddling with the corner of the page, she mused even further, and read more.

_ For the past two centuries Garderobe has undergone immense change. Originally only twelve Otome had been trained under the Founder. Once Garderobe had established an international foothold, the student numbers steadily increased. _

_ Today Garderobe trains fifty Corals and twenty-five Pearls. _

Tomoe mildly wondered what the Founder would think of their numbers today. They had halved this number, and for what reason? The prissy Headmistress was afraid of Otome? Why was she cutting down on them? Everyone knew the Otome would never disappear.

_ Before any student can be administered their training GEMs, they undergo a ceremony. The Corals, led by chosen Pearls make a vow with His Majesty, King Anri. This vow is their allegiance to the Kingdom of Windbloom, no matter their nationality. _

Allegiance to Wind? That’s a little weird. Garderobe was completely neutral now. It also read here that only Wind Otome could become the Headmistress. That was extremely… restricted, right? Kruger’s nationality was Aries, wasn’t it? It was that weird county with the ridiculous name. Krugerville or something... 

Why was this information even here anyway? This wasn’t construction history- or did it mean development in general? Did the author mean both building and system wise? If so, that would make sense.

Flipping on, Tomoe found a section dedicated to the administrative staff of Garderobe. The information on the teachers was underwhelming, since their definition could easily be found in a dictionary. Teachers of Garderobe were no different from the average educators.

What caught her interest was the section on the Five Columns.

_ The Five Columns are Otome specifically chosen by the Founder to govern the Otome and to represent the Otome’s body of governance. Their roles include the day-to-day operation of Garderobe, but they may be assigned roles outside of Garderobe. The head of this group of Otome is also the Headmistress of Garderobe. As the name suggests, only five Otome may be part of the Columns at any given time. _

This was basic information that Tomoe had witnessed for herself, more or less. Amongst the current Columns, she had rarely seen Sarah Gallaghar and Mahya Blythe. They were often in the other nations, since the former serves as an ambassador and the latter enforces Otome laws. Counting Kruger and the Archmeister out of it, the last position is empty. It was likely that it would be filled up by one of the graduating Pearls.

_ The Headmistress’ role is to be the leader and representative of all Otome. Other than serving as Garderobe’s administrator, she has the authority to take command over Meister Otome in times of need. However, her authority will rarely override that of the Otome’s master. As the proxy for the Founder, the Headmistress is given almost complete administrative powers over the Otome. _

Oh? Complete administrative powers, it says. It seemed very likely that it was that Ice Silver Crystal who chose the current password. Tomoe took a note of it into her notepad.

What sort of password would she choose? Despite her cool and humourless demeanour, Kruger is a joke sometimes. Maybe she would pick a silly password? That would be rather difficult to guess, considering how juvenile that Headmistress’ mindset could be.

“The library certainly brings back memories.”

_ Who was that? _Glancing over her shoulder, Tomoe frowned. Her eyes immediately pinpointed Shizuru. Her eyes followed the Archmeister head into the library with another Otome. Wasn’t that… Anh Lu? A sober one at that too; she was notorious for being drunk.

Watching the two women go to the receptionist desk, Tomoe pondered for a moment. ‘_Would it be in my best interest to ask Shizuru about the books now? But… hm.’ _Glancing down at her notepad, she frowned discreetly. She wrote in a tight italic barely anyone could read; All except for Shizuru.

Shizuru could backfire on her too, considering Tomoe had beaten up her plaything. She needed to be more subtle. But how was she supposed to be discreet about this? Just eyeing her speak with Anh Lu was going to achieve nothing. Tomoe had to _ speak to her _.

“Didn’t you usually only come here to study the Corals?” Shizuru joked with the royal Meister.

“You tease, Shizuru. You know better than anyone how tempting it was.”

_ ‘That’s weird.’ _Tomoe knew Shizuru had been Anh’s room attendant. However, this teasing personality; had Shizuru received it from the An Nam Princess? Just how close were these two? Narrowing her eyes, Tomoe eventually pulled her gaze away.

She wouldn’t ask Shizuru right now. It was already dangerous enough asking her. It would be a death sentence with Anh Lu with her. Perhaps she would get her chance after lessons?

“Oh? This book…” A gasp blew into Tomoe’s ear, the crispness of the voice sending chills down her neck. She had only just managed to turn away, but now it was the An Nam Princess who had approached her instead.

“I’m surprised that a Coral is reading about Garderobe history. I believe classes have not started teaching this yet, correct?” Ahn smiled at the cautious Coral. ‘_Ah, she’s cute but she smells a little dangerous.’ _

“That is correct, Ahn.” A sing-song voice confirmed from behind; Shizuru Viola had caught up behind her. “Oh, Tomoe?”

“M-Meister Shizuru!” Tomoe stammered slightly and stood up from her seat to properly address the two Meisters.

“How studious…” The elder Meister eyed the Coral carefully. Tomoe felt somewhat violated from the intensity of her looks. “Those muscles too, I could almost see them through your uniform. Are you perhaps the No.1 Coral?”

“No, I am ranked No.2. The top Coral would be Nina Wang.” Tomoe pronounced Nina’s name somewhat distastefully, as though it left a rotten taste on her tongue.

“I see…” Ahn mused.

“It was the same case as Haruka… all those muscles; everyone thought she would rival me.” Shizuru remarked offhandedly. “However, unlike Haruka this girl is quite studious and clever. She is not out-of-reach for the No.1 position.”

The Archmeister approached Tomoe and took a closer look at the book.

“That being said, I wonder why would you be reading this book? I believe Yukariko would not be touching on this topic until the next semester.” Shizuru looked at Tomoe in the eye; the intensity of her gaze caught the Coral by surprise. Any attention from her beloved Shizuru would have set her off, let alone her gaze.

“I wanted to do some studying now so that I would have more time for training in the future.” Tomoe lied while she kept her eyes focused on Shizuru’s. Other than to avoid being suspected of lying, Tomoe really wanted to keep the deep red eyes focusing back on her.

“Sounds like you have this all planned out.” Anh murmured, leaning her body slightly to the desk. She glanced over the book and then to the notes. ‘_That’s one complicated writing style. What does that even say? Is she up to something?’ _

“My… it certainly seems that way.” Shizuru acknowledged. At last she halted her stare, and brought her attention to the book. “I haven’t seen this book in a very long time. I do believe there was a more up to date edition.”

“Is there?” Tomoe hadn’t seen a hint of any other books like this. “How old is it?” 

“Twenty or so years old.” The Archmeister smiled. Sliding her fingers against the desk, she quickly read the notes Tomoe had made. “Are you focusing on the architecture of Garderobe, the Founder, or Columns?”

“A mix really.” Tomoe bit back her worry of Shizuru reading her notes. Escaping the Archmeister was like running from a pack of wolves. She needed to tread with extreme caution.

Ahn watched their interaction in amusement, wishing that she had some sake with her to accompany the show.

“... I see.” Shizuru produced an enigmatic smile, a characteristic of hers that made her fans swoon. Even Tomoe’s heart skipped a beat, though she was still aware of the danger the plan is in. ‘_D-Did she realise something?’ _

Shizuru considered Tomoe’s notes carefully. If she were up to something, it would certainly have something to do with the school. What could it be though? Would it concern areas that are off-limits? It seemed highly probable, though Shizuru could not deduce a possible reason for Tomoe to want to enter such areas. _ Unless… _

“I hear that you have gotten very close to Zhang?” Shizuru probed, thinking that she would watch the Coral freeze up in embarrassment. Instead, Tomoe barely concealed a bewildered look, to Shizuru’s surprise.

“With… Juliet Nao Zhang? I’m not too sure how Meister Shizuru would come to this conclusion…” Looking away from the Archmeister, anger seethed in the younger Otome. Really, even her beloved Shizuru thinks so too?! Tomoe would not have minded if the whole world thought that she and the prankster was an item. _ For the Bewitching Smile Amethyst though? _ Only she is not allowed to accept this as fact. 

Tomoe would not stand for it; for her heart belongs to Shizuru Viola and no one else.

Noticing the change in the Coral, Shizuru raised a brow and quietly noted Tomoe’s reaction to the rumours. ‘_It seems like they are not an item, unlike what the rumours described. Then, why do they appear much closer these days? Perhaps I would need some clarification from Hallard?’ _

“Perhaps we shall not disturb Little Tomo-Tomo any further from her tome?” Ahn suggested, gesturing to Shizuru that she would like to have a drink with her.

_ ‘Little Tom-?!’ _

“-Alright, Ahn. We shall be leaving you then, Tomoe.” Shizuru took a step back to join with Ahn and the two left the disturbed Coral.

Tomoe wondered whether she managed to get away with the plan, but Shizuru was unlikely to not have noticed anything.

Elsewhere, Nao awakened from her nap.

* * *

“I managed to find some useful information from _ The Foundation of Garderobe. _I think Shizuru suspects me though.” Tomoe remarked as her and Nao regrouped in the training grounds. It was 8:30pm and they had both finished bathing. They had an hour and a half until it was curfew.

“Isn’t that the old history book that’s falling to pieces?” Nao pondered.

The two of them were materialised and the Pearl had her pole warped into a pair of Cat ‘o Nine Tails already. For once they had got permission to do something. They had figured the best plan of action would be to spar.

Tomoe wondered if Nao was up to it. She had been napping for most of the day. She eyed the elder carefully, noticing Nao fiddle with her element. “It is. Shizuru said there is a new edition of it. But…” Biting her lip, Tomoe gnawed it in thought. “I don’t think we should get the book yet.”

_ “What?” _Nao grumbled, feeling somewhat annoyed. “Because Viola suspects us?”

“I think she knows we plan to try and enter the library.” It didn’t matter if she didn’t know the precise location. Shizuru Viola has always been incredibly difficult to deal with.

“I was looking forward to that book too.” Nao mumbled, brushing down the frills of her Pearl robe. Ah, whatever. Least she finally knew where that book was. Falling into stance, she pointedly stared at Tomoe.

Now was the time to find out just how strong this Coral was.

Tomoe took the initiative, tightening her grip on her Element. She took an instantaneous leap towards the Pearl and swung her polearm into her waist. Nao’s body expertly adjusted to Tomoe’s speed and dodged backwards. Unrelenting, the Coral used the momentum of her swing to power a spinning kick at Nao’s head. The girl ducked in response.

Noticing her evasion, Tomoe shifted her weight onto the slowing kick and whipped her other leg upwards. Aiming for the back of Nao’s head, she swung the limb down with all her might. To Tomoe’s surprise, the Pearl dodged the kick by leaping to the side while boosting her speed with the robe’s flight abilities. Despite being airborne, Nao stayed close to the ground. Tomoe stood her ground in stance, watching the Pearl carefully. Knowing Juliet Nao Zhang, she may have a few tricks up her sleeve like the one from earlier.

_ ‘Well now, that was persistent. Those two kicks would’ve hurt like hell; She certainly lives up to her reputation.’ _ Nao considered the Coral carefully, keeping her eyes trained on her like a hawk. Tomoe’s strikes were swift and hard-hitting; it would be difficult to have to constantly evade, let alone keeping the distance between them.

“Are you not going to attack?” Tomoe sneered, keeping her Element up by her side.

“Oh, sure I am.” Nao snickered and raised her Elements; Tomoe took a defensive stance. The Pearl leaped into the air and extended her robe’s fibres to the length of the training grounds.

With Nao’s silhouette against the moonlight, Tomoe swapped to an evasive stance. ‘_Seems like she is widening the range of her attack; Like I’d let her hit me!’ _When Tomoe leaped towards what she considered to be a possible blind spot beneath the attacking Pearl, it happened in an instant; the arena was blanketed in a dust cloud.

Nao used her pair of Cat ‘o Nine Tails, then whipped up the dirt from the ground and reduced the visibility for the two of them. Making use of Tomoe’s immediate surprise, she quickly deactivated her flight and dropped carefully to the ground. Knowing that the Coral could disperse her feint at any moment, the Pearl stomped her Element into the ground. The stage for trickery was set while the fibres buried into the surface of the land.

What was this Artain doing? Tomoe remained still for the time being. She allowed the dust, dirt and sand to settle down. _ There she is. _ Tomoe swiftly pinpointed the redhead in the centre of the arena. But something was off. She wouldn’t fall for this. But _ what _was it? “Come get me then.” She threw at the Pearl. If Nao didn’t move, she’d be sure the redhead was up to something.

But… could she get close to her? Tomoe was in no way a ranged student. Cursing under her breath, she stared at Nao. ‘_She’s smirking! She’s definitely up to something.’ _

“I don’t see why not.” The jester replied, walking towards the cautious Coral.

_ ‘Wait, she’s WALKING towards me?!’ _ Closing the distance was not what Tomoe had expected of the Pearl, after all the trouble she went through earlier to create the dust cloud. _ What is- _ Tomoe’s thought was interrupted by Nao leaping into her, her empty fist directed towards her face. ‘_Wait, empty?’ _

Ducking to the side, the Coral stabbed her polearm into the Pearl’s stomach. The girl had attempted to block the attack with her fibres, but the Element forced itself through anyway. The impact sent Nao flying a short distance.

“Ugh, that really hurt.” The Pearl winced, holding one hand to the impacted area. She would not be surprised if one of her ribs broke from Tomoe’s absurd power.

“Thanks for the praise.” Tomoe smirked, somewhat excited that Nao would be the first to take damage between them. The Coral had absolute confidence in her fighting abilities, but the Pearl’s unpredictability made for a challenging fight.

It wasn’t like she disliked this. In fact Tomoe felt a rush of further excitement to actually feel threatened. At last she could have a fight and feel rivalled! With this fuelling her, she again swung her Element. Nao back-stepped this, and unconsciously Tomoe tailed her.

“_ Don’t get too cocky _.” Nao sung, ducking down to avoid another swipe. In her coiled position, she bolted upwards and pushed Tomoe back.

With the abrupt push, Tomoe yelped and was sent staggering backwards. She caught her footing, but almost tripped again on something. Hang on. ‘_Has she hidden something-’ _

Distracted by the sudden discovery, the Coral did not catch Nao’s follow-up attack in time. When her attention returned to the Pearl, her Cat ‘o Nine Tails were inches from whipping into her chest. The impact had severed and broke parts of the robe, forming the shape of a slash. Her body fell backwards onto the ground and it instantly became clear what the trickster had done.

Red fibres emerged from the ground, entwining themselves around Tomoe’s limbs and crevices. Rendered immobile, she fell to Nao’s mercy.

“Is this my win?” The Pearl squatted down, poking the handle of her Element into Tomoe’s cheeks.

“So you buried your whip into the ground after your first move. How is that fair?” Tomoe growled at her, glaring at the handle that was now rubbing into her face.

“Heehee, all’s fair in love and war,” Nao snickered; Tomoe wondered whether she had implied something else. “Besides, if you haven’t noticed, I am quite lazy.”

“What of it?” The Coral eyed her warily. What did laziness have to do with this?

“Efficiency is our middle name… It’s just not worth putting in too much effort, y’know?” Nao grinned, somewhat tempted to shove the Element into the girl’s mouth.

That barely made any sense to Tomoe. If anything, she would put in the most effort into everything she does, especially if it was for Shizuru dearest. Taking shortcuts seemed despicable and unsightly to the proud Otome. Yet, Nao had bested her in their spar.

“I can’t believe I lost to someone like you.” Tomoe spat into the ground with an indignant expression. Nao merely shot a cocky grin.

“Anyway, nice bra you have there. The purple lace accentuates your breasts.” The Pearl licked her lips slightly, brushing her whip gently across Tomoe’s unprotected torso. It was almost ticklish which made the restrained girl tense up greatly.

“Stop it and let me up already. I’m not finished yet.” Struggling against the fibres, Tomoe abruptly noticed them behind Nao. They dug into the sand barely out of sight. “You can stop with the kink show now.”

“Oh? But I haven’t had enough yet.” The trickster pouted childishly at Tomoe. It was the first time she had seen such an innocent expression from her. However, considering the situation it felt much more devious than her usual mocking look. “You know, you hitting on my ribs really hurt.”

Without warning, the redhead got on her knees and hovered herself over Tomoe’s body. She then lowered until her head was on Marguerite breasts and her torso was touching restrained hands. The proximity sent Tomoe’s senses into overdrive, Nao’s breathing on her chest sending shivers across her body.

“Do you feel how swollen it is now?” The huskiness of her voice rustled into Tomoe’s core. 

“Y-you’re overreacting.” Tomoe grumbled, trying to slither herself from out of the bindings. Oh, how she wanted to roll them over and bash this Pearl’s face in. Maybe she could force herself out through sheer strength alone? But then again that might be a bad idea. Nao would probably use that to her advantage. Actually, she had an idea. Twisting her hands around, she blindly gripped at the redhead’s front. “Get off me or I’m jabbing your bruised ribs.”

“Get off… On you?” Nao’s smirk widen even further, “I sure am getting off on you right now; you have no idea…” Wrapping her arms around the helpless torso, she snuggled into Tomoe’s breasts. The smell of Tomoe’s sweat did not put her off somehow. She could feel a tingling in her skin, as though it wanted to explode. “Let’s just stay like this for a bit.” Her cocky smirked morphed to a satisfied grin.

“... Don’t you dare fall asleep without releasing me, you hear?” The younger girl grumbled, feeling foolish to be caught in a compromising situation like this.

“...”

“EARL TO JULIET NAO ZHANG!?” Tomoe became more exasperated at Nao, who was being more willful than ever. 

“Yeah, yeah.” She snickered in response, listening to Tomoe’s incoherent grumbling through her chest.

* * *

It was the next day when Nao and Tomoe went to the lab. At first Tomoe had been hesitant. Why bother? She only had a few bruises and cuts. But she supposed she had no choice. Otome had to be masters of appearances.

Least Nao had an actual excuse to be down here.

“Still breathing?” Tomoe muttered as they met by the lab door in the classroom corridor.

“Of course, last night’s therapy really saved me.” Nao grinned at the younger girl, then activating a freshly installed intercom. It was something Yohko had installed out of annoyance. Students kept coming down to watch an Otome-dedicated TV channel, sponsored by Backstage, in her lab.

“Who am I speaking to?” A familiar voice called out, albeit with some static noises and other voices mixed in.

“It’s Zhang and Marguerite. We got some injuries for you to look at.” Nao filled her in. Were there others in the lab as well?

“Oh, I’ve heard about the sparring. Let me take a quick look.” _ Beep. _Yohko had the door opened, allowing the duo access down the steps towards her lab.

With the door automatically swinging closed after them, Tomoe cocked a brow at the sudden change in technology. Usually Garderobe only used technology when it was absolutely necessary. Yohko must’ve pulled a few strings to get the intercom and door installed.

Climbing the stairs down, the temperature naturally cooled the further they went. Once the stairs took an angle, and the platform was revealed, Tomoe instantly paused. Doing so had Nao bump into her, but she barely registered her.

Shizuru was down here with Arika and Anh. What was that runt doing down here?

_ “Wouldn’t she have recovered by now?” _ Tomoe mumbled under her breath.

“Hm? Oh, it’s Arinko.” Nao peeked from over Tomoe’s shoulder, and then slid past her to lead the duo towards Yohko.

“Hey Arika, feeling better already?” The Pearl called out to the bubbly Otome.

“Ah, it’s Nao! Yeah, I’m ready to kick some butts!” Arika bounced over to Nao, and then noticed a figure behind her. “T-Tomoe…”

“I see you’re feeling better now.” She greeted lamely, unwilling to acknowledge Arika’s presence at all. Shizuru and Ahn followed behind Arika.

“Oh, would you be Juliet Nao Zhang?” Ahn mused, spotting Tomoe hanging behind the surprised redhead.

“The An Nam Princess knows my name? I’m flattered.” The redhead joked. So Backstage’s poll was true after all. The company had recently done a Pearl poll and she had gotten first place. How she beat Hallard she’d never understand. The Coral poll was coming up soon as well. It made her wonder how well Tomoe and Arika would do.

“I must always keep track of cute students.” The unusually sober woman teased.

Behind Nao, Tomoe frowned. That was oddly Shizuruish. Slipping out from behind Nao, she awkwardly remained silent. Could they just get checked over and leave now? She threw Nao an expectant glance, who then turned and cocked a brow at her.

“I just met little Arika right now too. Shizuru always did say by letter she was cute.” The playful Princess ruffled the ginger’s head- gently mind you, and pinched her cheek.

“A-Anh!” The somewhat embarrassed but happy Coral remarked.

Nobody except Nao noticed Tomoe’s sudden change in demeanour. Eyeing the Coral carefully, Nao winced. ‘_Oh boy, this is bad.'_

The scene replayed itself in Tomoe’s mind, conjuring and brewing intense jealousy from within her. This girl, this idiotic ant… Not only gotten her beloved Shizuru fawning over her in seconds, but now she had done the same with Ahn? Shizuru’s _ predecessor?! _This was ridiculous, why on Earl is this moron getting so much attention?! The happiness she emitted is nauseating, honestly was she boasting at Tomoe now? A dark whirlpool churned within the disturbed Coral, threatening to push her over the edge.

_‘Someone,_ _please just make her stop!’_

“O-Oh! Meister Ahn, have you met Tomoe already? She’s Coral No.2! She is really strong too, and had me beat most of the time.” Arika attempted to redirect Ahn’s attention to Tomoe, out of honest goodwill. The confident Otome seemed unusually subdued in their presence and Arika wondered whether it was due to the guilt from beating her into a coma.

“Tomoe…? Ah yes, Coral No.2. I have met her already, though Shizuru has not told me about her. She was the one who knocked you out, correct?” Ahn replied, and then shot Tomoe an ambivalent look.

** _‘… FOR FOUNDER’S SAKE, I WILL KILL HER RIGHT HERE.’_ **

The No.2’s mind was running at lightning speeds. The only bodily reaction she had for the time being was staring absolute death at Arika. It pinned the ginger on the spot; so much so the two Meisters stood between them.

These… casual remarks. The _ ease _ this runt had in winning people over. Tomoe ** _hated _ **Arika Yumemiya. Tensing her hands into fists, Tomoe possibly never noticed the action; nor when she took a step forward.

** _“Why is it always Arika Yumemiya?” _ ** Her tone was transformed into a fuming one. It was deep but still feminine and made her sound much more mature. ** _“For my whole life since first visiting Garderobe, I have wanted to become an Otome.” _ **Staring at the Archmeister right in the eye, Tomoe never flinched. Far too much was going on inside her head.

The overwhelming thoughts, feelings and emotions which had been bottled for years released. They were out of controlled and mixed into a deadly scenario. One Tomoe had never wished to happen.

** _“Yet this clueless runt staggers into Garderobe is accepted despite knowing nothing? And all because of what? Her mother is that Sayers woman? If my mother had been an Otome, would I have gotten an instant invite? No? Perhaps? No! Of course not!” _ **She hissed.

“What are you doing, Tomoe?” The Bewitching Smile Amethyst stood in her way, defending Arika from her fury. Something had changed in the Coral, and Shizuru had no idea what to expect from her; she had never experienced the girl in this state.

** _“What am I doing?” _ ** Seemingly thinking about it for a few moments, Tomoe scoffed. ** _What am I doing?! Why is it always her?!” _ ** Throwing an arm at Arika behind the woman, the girl flinched in response. ** _“She gets everyone to like her without a thought! She gets everything so easily! Yet me… yet everyone else…” _ **

Tomoe had _ tried so hard. _ Her mother had pushed her at a young age to continue the family by producing an heir. There had been no way she was getting bound down by some man. She had _ always _wanted to become an Otome- even before Shizuru.

But this… girl. It hit Tomoe like a tonne of bricks.

She didn’t know whether she wanted to be an Otome anymore. And Shizuru? Just what was this woman to her anymore other than a heart-wrenching presence?

** _“Why did you never just decline me?!”_ **

“Why are you doing this?!” Shizuru snapped at Tomoe, finally revealing her true feelings. Why was she always obsessed with her? It was disgusting how she never stopped approaching her, could she not get the message? The Meister never understood how to dissuade crazy fangirls like Tomoe; Moreover, she was the only one who had gotten this far.

“Can you let me go already? Your feelings repulse me; your behaviour is disgusting through and through and I can’t believe someone as thick-skinned as you exists.” The Meister thoroughly trampled on the Coral’s outburst, as though she was stomping on a smouldering flame. As far as Shizuru was concerned, if Tomoe were truly this way it would have been better if she never existed.

“Perhaps it would have been better if you had never existed.” Shizuru made her feelings clear to Tomoe, crimson orbs glaring straight into her eyes. The furious Coral felt as though her heart had been haphazardly crushed under the Meister’s boots and got pulled to shreds.

_ “So that’s how it is…” _ Tomoe mumbled in an oddly flat tone. She had nothing else to say anymore. The shock had mentally drained her to the point of disabling her. But this seething anger was far too much. ** _“You are just-” _ **Taking a strong step forward, this movement was immediately halted.

For a moment Tomoe couldn’t understand what was happening. She stared at her outstretched arm which had reached for Shizuru. Metal wires were wrapped around the limb entirely.

** _“ZHANG!” _ ** She furiously roared, more wires overwhelming her. They forced her onto her knees, and the razor-blade wires tore into her skin. ‘_Why is this whole fucking academy against me?! Can’t they see I’m being wronged here?!’ _

“What’s going on here?!” Yohko finally showed up, after their shouting in the corridor reached to her lab. What she saw surprised her greatly; she had never seen such a dishevelled Shizuru with the coldest look in her eyes. It actually struck fear into the doctor despite their years of friendship.

**“FUCKING- LET ME GO, JULIET NAO ZHANG!” **The Coral struggled greatly against the wires, but it only made them slice further into her skin. Blood poured from her fresh cuts and stained into her uniform, but Tomoe could not care less. As if it even meant anything at this point!

“Yohko, please _ take care _ of Tomoe.” Ahn instructed the bewildered doctor; she returned into her lab and returned with an injection pen.

**“Wait, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ME.” ** The Coral screamed at Yohko, then snapping around after hearing footsteps echoing down the hallway. **“STAND RIGHT THERE, SHIZURU VIOLA, ARIKA YUMEMIYA! DO YOU NOT HEAR ME?!- Ugh..!”**

Taking advantage of Tomoe’s distraction, Yohko had stabbed the injection pen into Tomoe’s artery. The anaesthesia spread quickly with Tomoe’s heart rate; within seconds, the raging Coral collapsed and hung on Nao’s wires like a puppet. To be honest, Yohko felt terrified to approach the girl. There is a reason why Yohko chose to work deep underground within the safety of Garderobe architecture. 

Even when Tomoe fell unconscious, Yohko was paranoid that she would awaken soon; despite knowing that the drug she injected could knock out an elephant in a single dose.

“I’ll… Let her go now.” Nao muttered, withdrawing her wires back into the palm of her hand; Blood that clung onto the wires drenched down her arm.

“Can you lend me a hand? I need to get her fixed up before anything happens.” Yohko shot a gaze towards the Pearl, who became uncharacteristically stoic.

The last thing Tomoe Marguerite could remember were the echoing of footsteps gradually growing softer in the cold until she could no longer hear them.

* * *

Absolute silence greeted Tomoe when she finally regained consciousness. Realising she was on her back, she tiredly opened her eyes. Exhaustion flooded her both mentally and physically even though she had slept. But where…? Her mind was utterly blank except with one question remaining: Where was she? All that surrounded her were mossy stone bricks and a rusty door.

The memories abruptly started flooding back into Tomoe’s head like a tidal wave. So… that really had happened. A laugh half escaped from her chest, but was immediately converted into a sob.

Where had it gone so wrong? At what point did she make the wrong step?

She was completely unaware of the plasters, tape and even stitches covering her. Maybe she simply didn’t care? But neither was she aware of the presence beside her. Instead Tomoe rolled onto her side on the uncomfortable mattress, and faced the wall.

The cuts stung and screamed in protest, but it was nothing compared to her mental anguish.

“Awake already?” A familiar voice shocked Tomoe and the pain from her wounds shot across her body.

_ “Juliet,” _ The Coral muttered, her voice barely reaching the concerned Pearl. _ “What are you doing here?” _ It was a question, but it sounded more like a comment.

“I had a porn book fall out of my clothes while I held you back, and Yohko saw it.” The irritancy in her voice did not reach the brooding Coral.

_ “Seriously…” _ Silence blanketed the two. It felt like an eternity before Tomoe completed her sentence, her voice reduced to a cold whisper. _ “…What went wrong back there?” _ She lamented.

What had gone wrong? Indeed, Nao had wondered too. It was not like she understood the Coral perfectly well to understand what went on in her mind while she acted out. However, the situation was extremely painful to recall; especially the look on Viola’s face while she degraded Tomoe and spat on her feelings.

The Pearl could only tell that Tomoe Marguerite had her heart thoroughly broken.

“Would… Would you like to get some counselling from Yohko?” Nao suggested lamely, predicting that Tomoe would never agree to it.

_ “And get knocked out again or euthanized like a rabid animal? What’s the point, I’m probably about to get expelled anyway.” _ Tomoe curled herself into a ball, with her arms covering her face. Like counselling could ever work in her lifetime; Tomoe couldn’t deal with herself with her constant gas-lighting and facade. Who was to say someone else could do better?

Her throat was raw, and she swallowed roughly. ** _She hated everything._ **

The intense regret had focused entirely onto her chest. It didn’t budge, nor did her quickly increasing depression and anxiety. It made her whole body feel hefty and solid. It confused her, and she could feel her ears become sensitive. Her love for Shizuru Viola had been crushed and so had her dedication to being an Otome. Just like that her life had crumbled into nothing.

Feeling the thin mattress dip down, Tomoe’s expression tightened further. _ “What are you doing?” _She hissed at the redhead, not once bothering to look over her shoulder.

The Artain had crawled onto the already small bed and lay beside her. In a matter of moments, Tomoe found her back tugged against the redhead’s front. She was far too drained to attempt shoving the elder away in anger.

_ ‘Who cares anymore.’ _

“I’m… Not going to do anything, honest.” Nao replied; her forehead rested against the base of Tomoe’s neck. Her hands held carefully onto the girl’s shoulders and clutched the fabric of her stained uniform. “I am just going to be here, if you need me.”

_ Need her? _ As if she would. The jester had always been a great nuisance to her since Chie put her on surveillance. If Tomoe had not owed her a favour, she would have never approached the annoying Pearl. But somehow, they were getting _ closer? _

Thinking back slightly, Tomoe would have never imagined them in this situation. It was almost a tender gesture from the Artain to behave this way.

_ ‘Tender… What am I to Shizuru? Who is she to me?’ _Slowly, Tomoe’s emotions began to pick up again; Sadness, instead of anger marred her features then she felt wetness on her forearms.

The Coral had begun tearing up, her breathing gradually becoming more intense and ragged. Her back was heaving along with her painfully sharp inhales, allowing Nao to experience the gravity of her emotions. Sensing the release, Nao gingerly wrapped her arms around Tomoe’s waist and her hands rested on her sides; her face pushed between her shoulder blades. The Pearl hoped that this would comfort the devastated Coral, if only by a little. 

After a long while, Tomoe’s emotions finally relented. Left in a tense atmosphere, she gripped tightly hold of Nao’s sleeve. The fabric curled around her fingers, and kept that limb close to her own body.

Maybe she could just sleep herself to oblivion, she wondered? At least then she wouldn’t have her mind drive her to insanity. Deciding sleep would indeed be an escape, she closed her eyes.

Tomoe was trying to sleep? Unable to rely on the dull light inside the tower, Nao listened closely. It indeed seemed to be the case: Tomoe’s breathing was starting to finally relax.

They had been like this for probably a good hour.

Relieved that the girl had finally calmed down enough, Nao relaxed as well. It was extremely unusual for her to care so much about someone and to feel hurt for them. Her behaviour had confused herself greatly, but she did not mind it at all. However, she was unsure whether it was alright to feel this way; A sort of anger against the Archmeister welled up within her chest, despite it not belonging to the redhead.

After a few minutes, the Artain picked up the minute echo of footsteps. It was inaudible to all but Nao’s ears, which were used to being on alert even while she slept. At least, the usual Tomoe would not have heard it as well but the memories from before losing consciousness still prickled in her chest. Unknowingly, Tomoe’s breathing became tense.

Pushing her senses, Nao could pick out two women looking into their cells. Their conversations were a mere whisper and she could barely pick out what they said.

_ “Looking alright…” “... need to talk to…” “... treatment?” “No.” “... you suggest?” _

The jumbled phrases barely made any concrete sense to Nao. If it were not for their characteristic voices, she could not have even guessed who they were; one of them had a deeper and huskier voice, while the other had a slightly sing-song one. It definitely was not Shizuru; Nao doubted that that woman would ever show up in front of Tomoe again.

Releasing a sigh, the Artain snuggled even more into the Coral; Tomoe had straightened from her curled up form and fit into Nao’s shape further. Seemingly in response, Tomoe held tighter onto Nao’s arms.

“Nao.” The husky voice popped up more clearly this time. It forced another sigh to release from Nao who glanced over to the bars.

It was Kruger; Nao could barely see her from the shadows. Beside her was Anh- that made sense. She had witnessed the whole scene, after all.

“Come here.” The Headmistress muttered; her eyes staying on the bed as Nao somewhat reluctantly rose. Seeing no movement from the bed, she eyed Nao carefully. _ “How is she?” _

_ “Other than bleeding out and having an emotional breakdown?” _ The Artain shot her a stoic expression which threw Natsuki off. _ “She isn’t alright, Kruger. If I wasn’t here she would’ve offed herself by now.” _

“That’s… Well, I’m glad we put you in with her.” Natsuki’s eyes averted elsewhere, making her appear somewhat guilty.

“I think I could imagine what was going on in Marguerite’s mind now.” Ahn sighed, brushing her fingers against her lips. “It was something I had warned Shi- her about before, but it seems like she did not pay it any heed.”

Nao looked at Ahn rather curiously. How would someone like her ever understand what Tomoe was going through? It was like a hunter claiming to understand how it feels to be hunted. Or perhaps, it was due to the uniqueness of such relationships, that there are things only the two would understand.

_ “I don’t think she would like anyone to claim to understand her right now. Thank you for taking Tomoe’s side though, Meister Ahn.” _Nao gave a quick bow despite the door between them; The two Meisters raised a brow at her action.

“Well, Nao… Your fans will weep if they saw you like this.” The Headmistress attempted to diffuse the atmosphere, and then added, “We will be counting on you to take care of her.”

_ ‘Take care of me… Zhang?’ _ Tomoe had woken up slightly from the voices and it was the first thing she heard. To the confused Coral, it sounded as though Nao was being caring towards her because she was entrusted to do so. ‘_Wait, then, when was she ever her true self around me?’ _

Tomoe always had doubts about allowing Nao to get too close to her, and they were starting to prove true. Despite so, she did not like that she had started to suspect her of all people. The Coral was not too sure why she was starting to feel this way, even though she had no qualms if Miya betrayed her instead.

Ah… she had treated her pretty shitty these past months. This whole situation was changing her swiftly. She didn’t like it at all. Tomoe felt like she transported to an alien world with no way back.

Instead of allowing her mind to flood her again, she sat up. She did so with difficulty, and took no mind to the immediate attention she received. Anh was the first to notice her sitting up, and discreetly elbowed Natsuki.

“Wait what are yo- Oh, Marguerite.” The Headmistress cleared her throat and addressed the Coral somewhat awkwardly.

“Kruger…” Tomoe forced the name between clenched teeth. It reminded her of the woman who tore her apart. “I do not want to see you right now.”

“I get it.” Natsuki nodded, then stepping aside so that Tomoe would not see her. It was another unusually kind gesture from an unlikely person. The Coral had thought that the Headmistress would get pissy at her then expel her on the spot. She would be lucky if she got to stay in Windbloom.

“Am I expelled?” Tomoe asked, wondering why the Headmistress would even visit her at such a time.

“... I’d like you to stay, if that’s what you’d like to hear.” Natsuki replied vaguely. As the Headmistress, given Tomoe’s potential as an Otome and how it was the Archmeister who pushed her over the edge cruelly, Natsuki would definitely want Tomoe to stay despite her offences -- attempted assault on a fellow classmate and on a Column. But personally? Natsuki was unsurprised that Tomoe had snapped at Shizuru, really. She herself had been on that end with Shizuru while they were Coral and Pearl, and it had sucked. She could not imagine how awful Tomoe must feel. If Tomoe were to really ask her how she felt, Natsuki would have said that Shizuru had brought about this onto herself.

That being said, if the rest of the Columns and administrative staff objected to her staying, there would be little Natsuki could do to keep her around. Unpredictable and violent tendencies were the most undesirable traits an Otome could possess. Bringing in international representatives to discuss the issue was out of the question, as she did not want Artai to catch wind of what had transpired. They could easily take advantage of the chaos and possibly charm the dangerous Otome to their equally dangerous nation.

“Okay.” Tomoe turned her back towards the two Meisters and returned to the bed. She laid into the position she was in before, almost appearing as though she had not gotten up before.

_ “Hm… will she be alright?” _Anh murmured mostly to herself. She cupped her jaw in thought, and studied the student. Only time was going to tell them at this point. “I will warn the others to not utter a word.” She continued, thinking better than to speak of Arika.

The Headmistress nodded, and stepped aside for the Princess to exit. Once she had left, Natsuki spoke. _ “I can’t tell you how long you will both be inside the tower. We should have the Columns’ opinions gathered in a few days.” _

That’s if, of course, Sarah and Mahya hadn’t moved out their current locations.

The two Meisters finally left the duo alone, to Nao’s relief. She was getting really sleepy already; if the Meisters never left she would have ignored them and had gone to sleep. Though, Natsuki would have her head if that ever happened.

Turning to Tomoe, she got back into bed with her. Somehow, Nao had gotten rather excited to get back to sleeping with Tomoe. Shifting herself into the same position as before, she tried to loop her arms around the Coral like before. Unexpectedly, her arms were slapped off.

“... Don’t touch me.” Tomoe muttered coldly. She desperately needed time alone to think, and this touching wasn’t the time at all.


End file.
